Estelle Knight

Estelle Risner Harber Knight, 99, passed away on February 9th, 2025, in Austell, Georgia.

Born Jan. 17, 1926, to John William and Molly Eunice Robertson Risner in the Reed Creek community of Hart County, Georgia. Estelle was one of 10 children and the first to attend high school or college. She began studying to be a teacher while at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. There she met Hugh Linton Harber from Carnesville, Georgia. Whom she married in 1943, after he promised to send her to college to complete her degree. A promise kept when she received her Education degree from Georgia Southern College in the 1960's. Upon marriage, they moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where Hugh studied to become a Southern Baptist Minister before moving "home" to Georgia.

Estelle spent the next 46+ years as a minister's wife in numerous small towns around Georgia and South Carolina, as well as a middle school teacher, community worker, and devoted mother to a son, Randy, and twin daughters, Patty and Peggy. Rev. Harber died of a heart attack in 1990 in Carnesville, Ga. where they had retired.

Eventually, Chaplain Francis A. Knight, LTC, U.S. Army (Ret.) of Blountstown, Florida, came for a visit. Estelle and Rev. Harber had met Francis and his wife, Mary, at seminary in Texas, and Estelle learned that Mary Knight had also passed. Estelle and Francis spent several months getting reacquainted. They married in 1993 and Estelle became "step-Mom" to Suzanne Knight Mason (Ronnie) and Buddy Knight (Jane and children Elizabeth, Ben, Chris and Debbie). Estelle and Francis lived in Blountstown, Florida, until Rev. Knight died in 2003.Estelle moved to the Atlanta area in 2005 to be closer to her family which led to many happy occasions.

She is survived by her son, Randall Hugh Harber (Kathy, deceased ), and daughters Patty Sue Harber Jordan (Charles) and Peggy Ann Harber Ulrich (Robert); grandchild Samuel Colter Ulrich (Sarah) and great-grandchild Jaclyn Louise Ulrich.

Graveside funeral services will be held at Nancy Hart Memorial Gardens on Wednesday at 11:00am. With Rev. Samuel Walker presiding. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to Presbyterian Homes of Georgia.