Former Coal Grove mayor, council member McKnight dies

COAL GROVE — The Village of Coal Grove has lost one of its most committed public servants.

Bernard “Tom” McKnight, who served two stints as the village’s mayor, as well as three years on council, died Saturday, May 17, at age 88.

First elected in 1976, McKnight served as mayor for 19 years, serving from 1976-1991 and from 2000-04.

Among his achievements as mayor was overseeing the rebuilding of the Coal Grove Village Hall, which was destroyed by fire prior to his election.

McKnight also started the annual Family Fun Days festival in the

village, led the building and naming of Paul Porter Park, secured money for the Coal Grove boat ramp, and secured more than $20 million for infrastructure.

The village’s present mayor, Andy Holmes, said “Tom was very important to our community” and that his motto was “to serve the people of Coal Grove.”

“And he truly did that, until the end,” Holmes said.

He said that, until recent months, McKnight could be seen in his retirement driving around the village, accompanies by his dog, checking on things.

“He was always making the rounds and active,” Holmes said.

Council member Denise Paulus was McKnight’s neighbor, both at home, and when she began her time on council.

“He sat beside me at meetings,” she said, stating he served as her mentor, when she was new on the body. “And I never learned more than during that time.”

Paulus said the village passed a resolution in 2020, when McKnight resigned to name the town hall after him. 

She said she recently came across it again, and realizing McKnight was ill, approached Holmes about revisiting the matter and making it happen.

“That was in April,” she said, crediting Holmes for quick action. “It was God’s timing.”

A dedication ceremony took place on May 8, with McKnight and his wife, Linda, present, where a plaque was installed in his honor in the council chambers. Similar signage will be posted on the building’s exterior.

McKnight thanked the mayor and council for the honor and spent an hour speaking with the public and reminiscing about his time in office.

Holmes spoke of McKnight’s contributions at the ceremony.

“He believed in the power of community, and in the strength of listening,” Holmes said. “He knew that leadership wasn’t about being the loudest voice, but the most compassionate heart. And he never asked for recognition, only for the opportunity to make a difference. His legacy isn’t just in the roads paved or the policies passed – it’s in the lives he touched, the kindness he showed, and the hope he brought to this village.”

McKnight, a lifelong resident of the village, was a member of Memorial Methodist Church of Coal Grove and was also a Little League coach in football, basketball and baseball.

He is survived by his wife, to whom he was married for 66 years, as well as his daughters, Tomi Blankenship, of Coal Grove, Shelli, of Tampa, Florida; and son, Kyle McKnight, of Coal Grove.

Visitation and funeral service for McKnight were Friday at the Memorial Methodist Church. Burial followed at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton.