Rayburn Doyle McKnight, 73, of Niota, died unexpectedly at home on Monday, March 1, 2010.

He was born in Pontotoc County, Miss., in 1936 to the late Aubrey Doyle and Ruby Gullick McKnight. He lived on a farm in Pontotoc County until his family moved to Memphis in late 1951, where he attended high school, graduating in 1955. He became a Christian and married Sara F. Outland in that same year.

He earned a degree in history at Memphis State University in 1960. He and his family spent about two and a half years in New Orleans, La., where he attended New Orleans Theological Seminary for two years. After moving back to Memphis in early 1962, he taught at East High School in Memphis. In 1968, the family moved to Knoxville, where Rayburn earned three degrees in electrical engineering at the University of Tennessee.

He worked as an engineer at ORTEC, Inc., in Oak Ridge, South Central Bell Company in Knoxville, and the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville and Browns Ferry, Ala. He took early retirement from TVA in 1988.

While working in the industry, he served as an adjunct instructor in 1975 at Roane State Community College and from 1976 to 1983 at the University of Tennessee. He served as professor and department head at Pellissippi State Technical Community College from 1988 until December 1998, at which time he retired.

He and his wife moved to McMinn County in 1978. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Athens where Sara still attends.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Sara Outland McKnight; three daughters and sons-in-law, Sarita McKnight Daniels and husband, Tony, of Flowery Branch, Ga., Anita McKnight Carr and husband, Mike, of Columbia, S.C., and Lisa McKnight Edmisten and husband, Allen, of Clinton, S.C.; 10 grandchildren and their spouses, Lindy Daniels Rakestraw and husband, Kevin, Stacy Carr Jordan and husband, Jeffery, Eric Carr and wife, Graham, Kristen Daniels Stamey and husband, Josh, Hunter Edmisten and wife, Elizabeth, Jeremy Daniels and wife, Catherine, Jacob Edmisten and wife, Kelsey, Carissa Edmisten, Noble Edmisten and McKenzie Edmisten; six great-grandchildren, Haillee Jordan, Anna Jordan, David Jordan, Aaron Jordan, Remington Holcombe, and Kiernan Stamey; brother and sister-in-law Kenneth and Ruth McKnight of Niota; one nephew, Kevin McKnight and his wife, Suzette, and their son, Nathan McKnight, and Nathan's son, Caden; and one niece, Laveta McKnight Hall, her husband, Todd Hall, and their children, Ethan Hall and Aubrey Hall.

Funeral services will be 8 p.m. Thursday in the chapel of Laycock-Hobbs Funeral Home with Dr. Jason Clark officiating.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Gideons International, P.O. Box 4, Athens, TN 37371-0004.