L. Darwin Knox

L. Darwin Knox, 72, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away Tuesday, August 30, 2016, at his home in Baytown, Texas, after a long battle with leukemia. He was born on September 1, 1943 in Baytown, Texas, to Lester Knox and Fannie Lou Hill Knox. Darwin was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Sandra Knox Mills. Darwin is survived by his wife of 50 years, Eileen Moore Knox; daughters and sons-in-law, Staci Darlene Knox Villemarette and husband Chris, Charlotte D'Ann Knox Buntin and husband Bill; grandchildren, Amy Lou Buntin, Caroline Addie Villemarette, William Knox Buntin, Knox Cody Villemarette and Abigail Grace Buntin; close friend and caretaker, JB Barragan, as well as many other friends. He is also survived by cousins, Sue Castleschouldt, of Conroe, Texas, Barbara Reed, of Montgomery, Texas, and Marie Perkins, of Woden, Texas.

Darwin grew up in Pelly, Texas and graduated from Robert E Lee High School in 1961. He also worked in car shops where he learned to love cars. Darwin joined the US Marine Corps in 1962 and went on to serve in Vietnam. During his time in the Marine Corps he was a mechanic and learned to work hard and fix anything mechanical. He met Eileen in 1965 while stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They were married on December 19, 1965. Darwin was honorably discharged from the military and he and Eileen moved back to Baytown in 1966. He went to work for Crown Petroleum where he was employed for 30 years. He retired as Chief Operations Supervisor after 30 years of service. Darwin was always at work, so when not at Crown, he was working on cars and houses. He built houses and became an expert at home repair. Also, Darwin loved everything about cars, especially collecting and working on Corvettes. He continued this hobby into his final days and always loved showing friends his ""projects"". When Staci and Charlotte were born, Darwin loved to support their activities. He attended many of their dance, sports, cheer and other events with video camera on his shoulder. His girls were his pride and joy and he was always ready to tell that to anyone willing to listen. Darwin was equally proud of his grandchildren and supported them at their activities as well. Most of all, Darwin loved to talk and tell stories. He loved to keep in touch with many of his friends from childhood. He never forgot a story from his past and was always ready to tell one as if it happened yesterday. He discovered the computer and Facebook in the last couple of years and really loved adding to his list of friends. In December 2015, Darwin and Eileen celebrated 50 years of marriage and they were able to see many of those lifelong friends.

A visitation will be held at the Memorial Baptist Church sanctuary on Friday, September 2, 2016, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 3, 2016, at 10:00 at the Memorial Baptist Church sanctuary, 600 W. Sterling Ave., Baytown, Texas 77520, with Pastor Randy Piatt officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Cedarcrest Cemetery.

Serving as pallbearers will be Bill Buntin, Will Buntin, Chris Villemarette, Knox Villemarette, JB Barragan, Carroll Kimball, Tom Olejniczak, and Brian Moore. Honorary pallbearers will be Walter Hall, Gary Herrington, and JC Thomas.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a memorial donation in Darwin's name may do so to Memorial Baptist Church or the MD Anderson Cancer Center, P. O. Box 4486, Houston, Texas 77210-4486, www.mdanderson.org

To view the online obituary or to post a tribute for the family, go to www.navarrefuneralhome.com

Arrangements are under the direction and personal care of Navarre Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 2444 Rollingbrook Dr., Baytown, TX, 77521 (281) 422-8111.