Ford Wesley Knight, 80

Ford went to be with our Lord Jesus Christ on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, in Kalispell. Ford was born Sept. 18, 1929, in Butte, to Jack and Blanche (Dickson) Knight. He was followed by brother, Rutherford, and sister, Geraldine. He went to grade school in Bannack and graduated from Beaverhead High School where he played in the East-West Shrine Football game. During the summer he spent time in the Big Hole, haying on the Jardine ranch. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in metallurgical engineering and graduate fellowship from the Montana School of Mines while working in several of the Butte mines. Over his extensive international career, Ford performed duties as manager and project engineer for the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in Anaconda; E.I. Dupont, Savannah River Plane, Aiken, S.C.; Los Alamos Scientific Lab, K Division, Los Alamos, N.M.; Atomic Power Development Association (Detroit Edison) and FERMI lab, Detroit; United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Dounreay Fast Reactor Facility, Thurso, Scotland; Westinghouse Electric, France; General Electric in Richland, Wash., San Jose and Vallecitos, Calif., and Tokyo, Japan; Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel Division, Pittsburgh; Westinghouse Electric, Advanced Energy Systems/Waste Management/Environmental Remediation Divisions, Pittsburgh; and Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, Wash. Ford s professional affiliations included: Westinghouse Electric s representative on and charter member of the committee on Nuclear Quality Assurance, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and an early and catalyzing member of the ASQC working group on ASQC E-4, Environmental Quality Assurance. Ford was published many times in major publications between 1960 and 1991. One of these publications titled, Acubic Expansion of PU and PU-FE Eutectic Between Room Temperature and 700 to 800 degrees Celsius, was presented at the Second International Conference on Plutonium Metallurgy, Grenoble, France. While in Pittsburgh, Ford met and married his wife, Nancy Fried Knight. They together raised sons, John and Matthew, on a farm in Saxonburg, Pa. Ford was a well-respected farmer, raising corn and soybeans along with hogs and black angus cattle. All of this was to show my sons good work ethic. Ford and his family returned to his beloved Montana in 1991. He and his family have enjoyed many years in the Flathead Valley where both sons have met and married their wives, Carrie Griffin Knight and daughter, Tia, and Heather Broeder Knight and daughter, Tiffany, and son, Cody. Ford is survived by his loving wife, Nancy; his sons, John and Matthew; daughter, Leslie Smail, and husband, Eric Hunley; nephew and niece, Jarrod and Atari Faust; and countless friends. Ford was a patriot and loved the free United States of America. The most important thing in Ford s life was his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout his entire life he credited and honored our Heavenly Father. This was his most cherished legacy. Amen. The celebration of Ford s life will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Cornerstone Community Church, 1970 U.S. 93 N., in Kalispell. Now go straight home and no bar hopping. Friends are encouraged to visit the Web site at www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolences for the family. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memorials are suggested to Crossroads Community Church; the Veterans Food Pantry; or a charity of the donor s choice.