Harold Knight

PFC Harold K. Knight, age 20, was killed in action on November 25, 1950, during the Korean War. He was born in Oil City, PA, on June 20, 1930, the son of the late Henry and Irene Ausel Knight. He grew up in Erie and attended East High School. Harold worked at General Electric for close to six months before joining the military.

Harold transferred from the Pennsylvania National Guard to enlist in the U.S. Army on May 31^st, 1949. Knight was an infantry man assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 31^st Infantry Regiment, 31^st Regimental Combat Team, where he was killed at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea.

Knight’s father had received several telegrams and letters from 1950-1953 regarding his status from missing in action to killed in action.  In March of 1954, Knight was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. His mother had died in 1949, never knowing the fate of her son. His father passed away in 1982, knowing only that his son’s remains were still somewhere in Korea.

Knight’s remains were repatriated following a summit in 2018, when 55 boxes of US soldier remains were handed over to the U.S. Department of Defense from the Korean People’s Army. DNA analysis was completed to identify the remains.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four sisters, Isabel Beaman, Dora McAnich, Opal Goatley, and Rosie Rodgers; four brothers, LeRoy Knight, Robert Knight, Alfred Knight and Quinton Knight.

Harold is survived by two sisters, Frances Thompson and Patricia (Thomas) McInchak and a brother, Albert (Patricia) Knight, all of Erie, as well as several nieces and nephews, who had never met him, but grew up knowing that their Uncle Harold was a war hero.

A procession to the graveside service will depart from Burton Quinn Scott Cremation & Funeral Services, Inc., Downtown, 602 W. 10^th Street Erie, on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend a service at Heckathorn Cemetery, 369 Heckathorn Church Road, in Seneca, PA, at 1 p.m., with full military honors.  Live streaming will be available at https://www.facebook.com/BurtonFuneralHomesAndCrematoryInc.

All CDC guidelines will be followed including face masks, social distancing, and capacity limits.

Please send condolences at www.Burtonfuneralhomes.com