Funeral services held for trailblazer Dr. Ann Knight

The community is honoring the life of a Fort Myers trailblazer.

Dr. Ann Knight served the city for two decades as the second African-American elected to the Fort Myers City Council. She represented Ward 3 of the city.

Knight, a long-time educator, died last week. She was 89.

Knight’s funeral was held at Gulf Coast Church of Christ in Fort Myers. And everyone person who was inside on Saturday morning had a story about her but especially her son, Ken.

“I can talk stories about mom for hours on end but today that gift is missing from me for my heart is heavy,” said Ken.

Former colleagues of Dr. Knight shared some of those stories of her 22 years on the Fort Myers City Council.

Dr. Knight is remembered for her work to reduce juvenile crime.

Knight made a mark for the younger generations in Fort Myers. She fought to make sure children had equal opportunities no matter where they came from, said Fort Myers Councilwoman Teresa Watkins Brown.

“Her biggest thing was making sure children had the opportunities they needed to have on an educational basis,” Watkins Brown said. “That was one of the reasons why the Stars Complex is named after her because of the stance she always took in making sure our kids in the community were given the same opportunity and abilities to grow successfully in education.”

The Stars Complex was named after her in 2017.

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