Mary Alice (Knight) Michael

Mary Knight Michael, 92 years old, flew to heaven on February 26, 2021 in New Albany, IN where she had been a recent patient at Autumn Woods Health Campus. She was born January 19, 1929 in Indianapolis to James Alfred and Mary Ione Knight (McSwane).

In March of 1946, she married the late H.C. Keithley, Sr. of New Albany, IN. Sadly, their marriage would end after seventeen years; however, their union joyfully welcomed three children: Judy, Butch and Marcie. She remarried in 1968 to Ernest H. Michael of Indianapolis. She and her beloved husband, Ernie, were married for forty-nine years and seven days and resided in Indianapolis for over thirty years. A member of Southwood Baptist Church, she was a devout follower of Christ and served on a variety of committees, sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, vacation bible school, and wrote a monthly newsletter. She loved to sing and had a beautiful voice and joined a trio for several years sharing her gift at nursing homes and funerals.

She was employed by Western Electric in the 70’s and then went on to manage Cherry’s Bed and Bath in Southport. After several years, she attended floral design school and managed a small shop before retiring to care for her family. Although she held several jobs throughout her life, she would say that being a wife, mother, and grandmother were her greatest achievements and spent a lifetime building family memories and traditions. She was lovingly known to her grandchildren as “Michael Michael.”

At age fifty, she went back to school and obtained her GED, took up ballet, tap, and even learned to line dance. She loved cooking and entertaining, sing-a-longs and pitch-ins, and wore lots of hats, scarves and bling. She was known to many as the “Pie Lady” and could be counted on for her delicious homemade goodies. She loved nature, especially her birds and her flowers, and she and her husband camped annually at McCormick's Creek where they enjoyed singing, games, campfires, fishing, baking and long walks with family.

Mary was a lifelong learner and had a large assortment of books and was an avid card and letter writer. At the age of 91, one of her short stories was published in the book, The Perfect Persimmon, by award-winning journalist, Michelle Medlock Adams where she shared her own adventure and recipe of the hunt for the perfect persimmons of Lawrence County. She moved to Jeffersonville, IN after the death of her beloved husband in 2018 and resided with her daughter and continued to write letters, bake and garden until her health failed in the fall of 2020.

She is survived by her son, H.C. “Butch” Keithley Jr. and his wife, Linda, of Cincinnati OH; her daughter, Marcie J. Keithley of Jeffersonville, IN; one brother, Bruce Knight of Georgetown, IN; two sisters, Barbra Wenner of Paris, TX and Pamela Knight Lowe of Franklin, NC; five grandchildren, Chris Becher of Indianapolis, Mary Beth Shafer Hildebrand of Ephrata PA, Michele Shafer Hodges and Jessica Roth of Jeffersonville IN, and Jeffrey Todd Keithley of Carollton KY; seventeen great grandchildren; two great great grandchildren; and nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest H. Michael; her daughter, Judith A. Keithley; and three siblings, Betty Knight Tackett, Donald Knight and James Alfred Knight Jr.

A Memorial Service is to be held on Saturday, March 6th at 11:00 am EST at Kraft Funeral Service, 2776 Charlestown Road, New Albany, IN with Leland Parks officiating. Burial will be private in Kraft Graceland Memorial Park. Memorial Contributions can be made to SouthernCare Hospice. The service will be streamed live on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kraftfuneral.