Jerry Wayne Knighten

In Loving Memory of Jerry Wayne Knighten July 12, 1944 – May 11, 2025

Jerry Wayne Knighten, 80, of Waco, Texas, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2025. Born on July 12, 1944, in Warner Robins, Georgia, he was the son of Frances Eugenia Mallows and William Travis Knighten. He was raised in Miami, Florida, where he graduated from Miami Senior High School in 1962.

A man of deep faith, Jerry served as a deacon at Grapeland Heights Baptist Church in Miami from his teenage years through his late 20s. He continued his commitment to service by joining the United States Air Force Reserves at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, serving from 1966 to 1972. During his military service, he earned his Airframe License and received an Honorable Discharge. He went on to attend Baker Aviation School in Miami, graduating in 1966, and later obtained his FCC General Radio Telephone License through Miami-Dade Junior College in 1987.

Jerry’s extensive aviation maintenance career included positions with Greenwich Air Services, Eastern Airlines, and Southern Air Transport at Miami International Airport. His areas of expertise ranged from aircraft overhaul, electrical systems, and engine changes to structural repairs and advanced flight instrumentation. He worked on various aircraft including the DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, Boeing 727, L-1011, L-188, and Airbus A300. One of his notable achievements was assisting Grumman Company with the zero-time overhaul of a Boeing 107 helicopter for the U.S. Air Force in St. Augustine, Florida.

Jerry moved to Waco, Texas, where he worked as an airplane mechanic for Chrysler before joining L3 Technologies. At L3, he applied his aviation expertise to work on submarine hunter aircraft, contributing to critical defense and aerospace missions.

He was recognized throughout his career for excellence and dedication, earning letters of commendation for perfect attendance and achieving the highest exam score at Baker Aviation School.

Jerry met his first wife, Linda Lou Lawrence Knighten, through a heartfelt introduction arranged by their mothers. They shared 26 years together and had four children: Jeffrey Knighten, Christopher Knighten (2 grandchildren, Bree and Kale), Christina Knighten, and Ava-Kathryn Knighten.

He is also survived by his second wife, Patricia Fern Brodsky Knighten, with whom he left Miami to start a new life and home in Waco, Texas.

Although time and distance brought changes to family connections, his legacy endures in the lives of his children and the memories they carry.