Retha Knox

Retha Marie Knox was born August 3, 1931 in Clay Center, Kansas. She was the daughter of Howard and Lucille Hileman. On June 18, 1950 Retha married Melvin Kenneth Knox of Palmer, Kansas. Retha and Melvin met at the movie theater in Clay Center in the late 40’s where Retha was employed popping popcorn for the patrons of the theater. Soon after marriage they relocated to Salina, Kansas because Melvin had secured a job with the Kansas Highway Department where they then started their family. Retha and Melvin decided early on that Retha would remain in the home until all the children were in school full days before she would work outside the home even though the extra money was much needed, parenting was their primary responsibility. Retha worked in Salina in later years after her 6 children were all in school, as a waitress at the former Mars Restaurant as well as the former Hilton Inn in downtown Salina. Her family always enjoyed her homemade breads, cookies and pastries from the oven and her home canned fruits and vegetables. She was always making jams and jellies. Sometimes her jams would not set up and her family loved these “failures” as she called them because they were great on flapjacks and waffles as well as bread hot from the oven! She always made bread as she had a huge distaste for store bought bread and continued to make bread well into her late 60’s by hand so she could “feel the dough as she knead it until it felt right.” In 1994 Retha and Melvin moved lock, stock and barrel to Coloma, Michigan where they purchased an Apartment complex with their son, Kevin Arthur Knox. They loved their place in Michigan right on Lake Michigan. Her family returned Retha back to Salina, Kansas in October 2015 due to failing health. Retha has turned over the day to day Apartment Complex operation to her sons. Retha and Melvin fell in love with their Michigan hide-a-way next to Lake Michigan where they could hear the Lake when it was angry, the waves beating the shoreline as well as hear that same wind whispering through the pine tree next to their deck. Retha and Melvin looked forward to May through September when they were busy picking strawberries and blueberries from the many large acres of fruits from nearby farm markets which they put in the freezer as well as making jams and jelly for those wonderful snowy, cold Michigan winters. Retha was preceded in death by her husband Melvin and their youngest son Kevin Arthur. Retha is survived by Gary and wife Louise, Ronald, Sherri Hill and husband Jerry, Kathy Peters-Doty, all of Salina and Steven and wife Cindy of Minneapolis and 9 Grandchildren, 10 Great Grandchildren, 2 Great, Great Grandchildren. Memorial Services will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 10:00 AM at the Neill-Schwensen-Rook Funeral Home in Clay Center, KS Burial will be in the Pleasant View Cemetery, Vining, KS Memorials to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital c/o the funeral home