Vernie Haden Knight, Jr., of Summerville, died on October 31, 2026, at Wildcat Senior Living. He was the widower of Sherrell Deane Smith Knight, the love of his life.
Visitation will be on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the James A. Dyal Funeral Home, 303 S. Main Street, Summerville. The Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, November 14, at 11:00 a.m. at the James A. Dyal Oakbrook Chapel, 11000 Dorchester Rd., Summerville, with burial immediately following. A reception will be held after the burial at Summerville Country Club, 400 Country Club Blvd., Summerville.
Vernie was born November 14, 1931, in Summerville, to the late Vernie H. Knight, Sr., and Belle (Charpia) Knight. He graduated from Summerville High School in 1949. In 1951, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served for two years, including 15 months in Korea, supporting combat engineering. Vernie attended The Citadel as a Veteran student and graduated in 1958 with an Electrical Engineering degree. After graduation, he went to work for NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA (the original home of the US Space Program).
Vernie married Sherrell in 1956. After Vernie’s graduation from the Citadel, they moved to Hampton, VA, where their daughter Joni was born in 1960. She was raised with loving guidance, humor, and joy. In 1973 they moved to Poquoson, VA. After Vernie’s retirement, they alternated living in Poquoson and Summerville until 2005, when they moved back to Summerville permanently.
During Vernie’s employment at NASA, he provided instrumentation systems for NASA’s space and aeronautics programs and rose to Head of the Flight Instrumentation Branch. In 1994, he received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for sustained outstanding achievements in research aircraft instrumentation, contributing significantly to advancement in multi-disciplinary flight research. He retired in 1996 after 38 years with NASA. After retirement, he worked as a consultant for Aerospace Corp. from 1998-2000, traveling to Russia.
Vernie was an active member of Boone Hill Methodist Church as a child, then a member of Tabernacle United Methodist Church in Poquoson, and rejoined Boone Hill UMC after returning to Summerville. In Poquoson, he was a member of the Ruitan Civic Organization.
He loved playing golf (played until 2020 with a senior group at Summerville Country Club – walking the course, not in a golf cart), restoring his 1962 Volkswagen “bug”, and Sudoku puzzles. He also loved watching stock market news, PGA tournaments, college football, cowboy shows, and old movies on TV. He especially enjoyed sharing a good joke and going out to dinner!
In addition to his wife Sherrell and his parents, Vernie was predeceased by a sister, Belva Smith (Frank, deceased) of Ridgeville; niece, Deborah Edge and her son Kevin Wiggins of N. Myrtle Beach; mother-in-law, Octive Wooten (A.C., deceased) of Summerville; and sister-in-law, Margaret Burke of Ladson.
He is survived by his daughter Joni Caton and her husband Ron of Port Royal, grandson Matthew Caton, and his wife Hannah of Richmond Hill, GA, brother Everett Knight Sr. (Jane) of Summerville, sister Linda Hallex (Charles) of Edisto Island, brother-in-law James Burke of Ladson, nieces Cathy Carroll (Bobby), Susan High (Wesley), Anne Burns (Rich), nephews Everett (Chip) Knight Jr. (Mindy) and Bob Edge, and nine great-nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by his many Charpia and Knight cousins.
Vernie was a great son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. He will be remembered for his quick “wit”, generous spirit, love of family, and the ability to make friends wherever he went. He will be greatly missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Boone Hill United Methodist Church, 801 Boone Hill Rd., Summerville, SC 29483.
The family wishes to express heartfelt appreciation to Dr. David Smith and Robyn for their care of Vernie for over 20 years; to the Memory Care staff at Wildcat Senior Living for their care for the last 9 months; to Agape Hospice; and finally, to Mimi Chavis who provided exceptional care and love to Vernie daily for 4 months.
Services provided by James A. Dyal Funeral Home 303 S. Main Street Summerville, SC 29483.