Lance Keith Knowles, 1903-2003

  A native of Montgomery County, Virginia, the Rev. Lance Keith Knowles attended Emory and Henry College. After his graduation in 1934, he began his ministry in McLean, Virginia, in the Old Baltimore Conference. While serving several charges in West Virginia, he met and eloped with his sweetheart Mary Kathryn Kiser. They returned to Lance’s home state of Virginia where they served churches from the Allegheny Mountains to the Eastern Shore and from Northern Virginia to Southside with his last appointment being Dinwiddie, Virginia.

  Upon his retirement in 1976, Rev. Knowles moved to Farmville, Virginia, and then to the Roanoke United Methodist Home where he pursued his love of gardening and woodworking. His gardening yielded not only beautiful roses, but also one particular harvest of a ton of tomatoes, which made him a local celebrity as he shared with friends, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters. Rev. Knowles’ woodworking produced fine furniture and accessories with which he blessed his children, grandchildren, and friends.

  Rev. Knowles was very active with his alma mater and was honored by the Emory and Henry Roanoke Valley Alumni Chapter by the establishment of the Lance K. Knowles scholarship.

  Lance Keith Knowles died on March 26, 2003. He was preceded in death by Mary, his wife of 62 years, and their youngest son Norman Kiser Knowles. He is survived by one son Lance Keith Knowles II, of Chester, Virginia; three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.