Frances Carol Knight

Frances Carol Knight, a teacher and former Southern Baptist missionary to Nigeria, West Africa, died October 9, 2016. She was 87 years old. Services will be at 2pm, Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at First Baptist Church, Mineral Wells, with Dr. Mark Bumpus officiating. Visitation will be at the church one hour before the service with burial to follow at Woodland Park cemetery, Mineral Wells. Frances was born on September 15, 1929, to Mary and Bill Knight. She graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1947. After attending Adams Business School, she worked for two years for Grantham-Adkins Insurance and Abstract Company in Mineral Wells. In 1950 she entered Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Religion Education, graduating in 1954. She was also named to who's who in American colleges and universities. In 1954 she began her teaching career at Mineral Wells Junior High School. After two years, she entered Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1959 she earned a Master of Religion Education degree preparatory to serving as a missionary teacher overseas. April 1961, she was appointed by the Southern Baptists then Foreign Mission Board, to serve as a missionary teacher in Nigeria, West Africa, where she lived and worked for 22 years.In 1983 she returned to the states to become primary caregiver for her mother, the greatest Christian influence in her life. In 1992 she was named Distinguished Alumni of Hardin-Simmons University and in 1994 was honored along with five other women by the Zonta Club of Mineral Wells in their status of Women program. She was an active member of First Baptist Church of Mineral Wells, where she served faithfully on many committees. She continued to speak of her work in Nigeria and promote the cause of missions in her area of outreach.Survivors are a sister-in-law, Barbara Knight; five nieces: Karla Howard, Patti Walker and husband Richard, Beverly Motley and husband Ronnie, Patricia Ragland and husband Fonce, and Barbara Brinlee and husband Larry. Nephews are Mike Milliken, Mark Milliken and wife Ginny, Kelly Knight, Christopher Knight, plus a host of her "mission" family with whom she had worked overseas and many friends locally. Preceding her in death are her parents, three brothers: Kenneth, Joe, and Carl and sister, Shirley Milliken, and brother-in-law, Corbett Milliken. Frances lived her life always seeking to do God's will and has now found her eternal rest in Him.