Susan (Sue) McKnight
Susan (Sue) McKnight, age 72, of Santa Barbara passed away on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 as the result of a tragic automobile accident.
Born in San Diego on January 19, 1945, she was the eldest daughter of Harold E. Green and Doris C. Green formerly of 42 Calle Capistrano, Santa Barbara, California, both of whom preceded her in death.
Sue attended Peabody Elementary School, La Cumbre Junior High and San Marcos High School, graduating in 1962 with honors. Sue attended Santa Barbara City College for 2 years, transferred into UCSB as a junior and graduated in 1967 Suma Cum Laude, earning a Bachelor’s Degree with a major in History and a minor in English. Her goal was to become a teacher and thus she spent the next year completing her student teaching to obtain her credential.
Initially, she taught briefly in Compton, California and subsequently was hired at Santa Barbara Junior High School’s Reading Center, where she taught for many years, giving the gift of literacy to hundreds of youth. This was something Sue was deeply passionate about and it gave her great joy to see them succeed. Sue was revered by her students, many of whom became personal friends later in life.
When education funding was severely cut in the State at that time, Sue set her sights on a new career field, real estate, and received her license to practice in 1977. She excelled in all phases of real estate, including residential, commercial, business opportunities and property management. Throughout the course of her career, she worked for Sunset Reality, Fred Sands of Montecito, Coldwell Banker, Steve Schmidt and Bob Tafejian Real Estate, among others.
Her most recent employment was privately contracted with foreign dignitaries as a property manager and personal advisor, where she remained for 12 years to the present. In all her endeavors, Sue maintained the highest standards of excellence, the most unwavering ethics, extraordinary loyalty, and unsurpassed integrity.
Sue leaves behind her husband, John Hudson McKnight, to whom she was married for 50 years, having shared 57 years of life together, twin sisters, Lori Lee Green-Stade, her husband Kevin, their children Kadie and Nicholas Stade and Patti Sue Green, her son Shawn Incollingo and Patti’s grandson, Ryder Hudson Incollingo and many extended family and friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at Rincon Beach Club, 3805 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria, California 93013 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Sue had a special place in her heart for animals, nature, particularly endangered species, and people in need of social justice and human rights in general. In lieu of flowers, it would be Sue’s wish for people to donate to any of these worthy causes.
Sue touched the lives of countless others. She was generous, kind and compassionate. She will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.