Pendleton Fritz McKnight

Penny McKnight, 72, of Aztec died on Sunday, February 3, 2013, in Farmington. He was born May 25, 1940, in Roswell, to LeRoy and Amelia McKnight.
NormaLee and Penny met in college and have been married for fifty-two years. Penny graduated from Capitan High in 1958 and continued his education at NMSU and graduated from ENMU in 1963 with a teaching and coaching degree.
He taught and coached football and track for thirty years in Aztec.
How can we describe our beloved husband, dad, and granddad? He loved his grandchildren with a passion - he was a long time member of the Aztec Lion's Club, - he grew up on a ranch - he was an outstanding cowboy - he enjoyed riding bulls, bareback broncs, and he could rope and tie a calf in a blink of an eye - he was an avid outdoors man, hunting, fishing, trapping, and packing into the mountains with a pack string of horses, mules, and dogs - he relished his daily coffee with a group of retired friends. No matter where Penny went there was always someone who said "Hello, Coach!"
One of our favorite things about Penny is that after he retired from teaching he started babysitting his grandchildren Tyler, Madison, Tanner, Jarrett and Cody. He taught them measurement by building birdhouses, weather vanes, and even a yellow dump truck to pick up rocks. Penny was big on reading, math, science, and directions. He always had riddles for them to solve. And of course, he had a storytelling tree, where they stood on a stump and told their creative stories.
Penny and NormaLee have owned a farm on the Durango Highway, since 1975. They have raised cows, sheep, horses, mules and the alfalfa to feed them. All will miss him, including his dog, Angus.
Penny was preceded in death by his parents, LeRoy and Amelia McKnight and his sister, Janice Eldridge-Herd.
He is survived by his wife, NormaLee McKnight; son, Mark (Yvette) McKnight; daughter, Robin (Randy) Hunt; sister, Cookie (Don) Harris and five grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, at the Aztec Cemetery.
A reception will follow at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 505 N. Oliver Drive in Aztec.
In lieu of flowers, the family has set up the Penny McKnight Memorial Fund. You can donate at any Citizens Bank branch. The family will be donating the proceeds to the Aztec Tiger Track and Field program. It was Coach McKnight's passion.
Penny's care is entrusted to Cope Memorial Chapel of Aztec, 405 S. Main Ave., in Aztec 505-334-9332.