Molly McKnight

Molly Lane McKnight, 24, passed away on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Baptist DeSoto Hospital in Southaven, MS. She was born on September 27, 1996 in West Point, MS, the daughter of Melanie Smith and Rodney McKnight. Molly graduated Hernando High School in 2015 and was a few classes away from graduating from Northwest Community College with a degree in Business.

Molly had a big heart and loved people. She loved her family and friends fiercely. She enjoyed music, singing, and her dog Oscar, as she was an avid animal lover. She saw people others overlooked through eyes of compassion and was a friend to all. She also had a special place in her heart for children. Molly loved and cared for many children in the community as she babysat for various families over the years. She was a loved teacher at the Mother’s Day Out program at Hernando UMC for the last 6 years where she was dearly adored by all little ones in her room as well as their parents. Because of her big heart, even in her untimely death, she was still thinking of others as she was a tissue and organ donor.

She is survived by her mother Melanie Smith (Brandon) of Hernando; her father Rodney McKnight of West Point; her brother Briggs McKnight and sister Neely McKnight; her stepbrother and stepsister, Jackson and McKenzey Smith; paternal grandparents Bud and Betty Bowen of West Point; maternal grandparents Tommy and Polly Briggs of West Point and adopted grandparents David and Marian Smith; her aunts Tonya Gay Orman (Manuel) of Coldwater; uncle Tom Briggs (Mary Ann) of West Point; one uncle Ronald McKnight (Ed) of Memphis; and aunt Brook Bowen of West Point and many dear friends and cousins.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, June 26 at Hernando United Methodist Church, 1890 Mount Pleasant Rd., Hernando, MS.Friends and family are invited to stay following the service for a time to visit with the family and one another. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in Molly’s name to www.livermommas.org, a charity that supports families with children who have had liver transplants or to the Hernando Animal Shelter.