Grace Pierotti Knighten

Grace died peacefully in her sleep at age 99 years in San Diego, CA. She is survived by daughter Kaye Knighten Gwyn of Corpus Christi, TX; son and daughter-in-law James L. Knighten and Glynda Knighten of Poway, CA; grandsons James Gwyn of Austin TX and Adam Gwyn of Corpus Christi, TX; granddaughter Laura Knighten and her husband John Murphy of Sierra Madre, CA; granddaughter Katherine Miller and her husband Gerald Miller of Sierra Madre, CA; and great granddaughter Alice Grace Miller of Sierra Madre, CA.
Grace was born in Mamou, LA and graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL) in Lafayette, LA with a degree in Education. She survived two husbands. In 1938, she married Clements Elliott of Pine Prairie, LA, who passed away suddenly in 1943. She then met and married returning WWII U.S. Navy sailor Harry G. Knighten of Lafayette, LA, who died in 1979.
Grace worked in the public library in Lafayette, LA in the late 1940’s. The family moved to Baton Rouge, LA to follow Harry’s job at the Baton Rouge Trade School. Later, when Harry moved to the Greensburg Trade School, the family moved to Amite, LA. Grace taught fifth grade for 30 years in public schools in Baton Rouge and Amite, LA, retiring from the public school system. After Harry’s death, she began teaching fifth grade at Oak Forest Academy in Amite. She then retired from Oak Forest and moved to Eunice, LA to be near her sisters.
Grace was a devoted Christian. She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church of Lafayette, Southside Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, First Baptist Church of Amite, and lastly First Baptist Church of Eunice. She was a devoted mother and grandmother. She had a good sense of humor and enjoyed visiting with family and friends, reading novels, and playing dominos.
In 2007 she moved to San Diego, CA to be close to her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters. She lived in an assisted living facility and enjoyed social activities and family gatherings. While she was able, she attended Hope United Methodist Church in San Diego.
There is a viewing at Poway-Bernardo Mortuary, Poway, CA on Monday, December 14, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 followed by a Committal Service at Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego, CA at 1:30 p.m.