October 5 1922 June 9 2019
Lloyd’s Obituary PORTLAND – Lloyd Robbins Knight, known to many as “Cap’n Lloyd,” died peacefully after a brief illness on June 9 surrounded by family. Knight was born to Everett S. Knight and Jessie R. Knight in Limerick, Maine, October 5, 1922 at the same farm where his father and grandfather were born. He graduated from Sanford High School in 1941 and from Bowdoin College in 1945, where he was a member of the Glee Club and appeared as a soloist with the Boston Pops under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. Despite being recruited as a knuckleball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Knight went on to attend the Curtis Institute of Music and the Academy of Vocal Arts both in Philadelphia where he met his wife, Ellen Kitty Johanna Carleen. They both studied opera and were married during a rehearsal break in December, 1946. Knight went on to appear in musicals and plays on Broadway, in Chicago and Los Angeles, and in touring productions of Annie Get Your Gun and Texas Little Darlin’. He appeared in a Maine-filmed episode of the TV show Route 66 and in Hawkins Falls, one of the earliest soap operas on TV. He was also a winner of the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show in 1951. He appeared in the Lux Video Theatre, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Kraft Theatre, Goodyear Playhouse, and the U.S. Steel Hour. In 1954, Knight returned to Maine to become part of the first CBS-affiliate in Maine WGAN TV, Channel 13. He had many jobs including directing the news and taking song requests for a live afternoon program. In his most famous role, Knight created the persona of “Cap’n Lloyd” in 1960. He is well known in the Portland area for his live daily show “Cap’n and the Kids.” He interviewed children during breaks in the Monday through Friday movie format, which featured movie series such as Blondie and Tarzan. Friday night was science fiction night. When the show ended in 1974, Knight continued to work for WGAN, then WGME TV. as a sales and advertising executive. Knight was inducted into the Maine Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2004. Knight and his wife of 72 years, Ellen, sang for years in local productions of Broadway shows and made personal appearances together whenever the singing of show tunes was required. Knight was a past president of the South Portland Rotary as well as a Paul Harris Fellow. He was on the board of the local Red Cross and donated blood faithfully every few months for most of his life. He was a member of the Mayflower Society and a choir soloist at Woodford’s Congregational Church and Williston-West Church in Portland. Kim Block, a local TV anchor for WGME, says of Knight, “Maine has lost a television legend. Lloyd was a treasure—a Broadway star with an incredible voice and a larger than life nurturing, exuberant personality. Thank you for all of the joy you brought into our lives.” Living in Cape Elizabeth since 1954, Knight is survived by his wife, Ellen (Carleen) Knight, his five children, Everett R. Knight of Palm Coast, Florida; Karla A. Knight and her husband Tom Murphy of Maynard, Massachusetts; Roy C. Knight and his wife, Liddy Berry of Holden, Massachusetts; Cornell F. Knight and his wife Kay Rand of Bar Harbor, Maine; and Eric I. Knight and his wife, Ellen of Cape Elizabeth. He is also survived by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Jennifer Kiser and her husband, Derek and their children, Emily, Sarah, Mary, and Evan of Missouri City, Texas; David Brochu and his wife Michele and their children, Elizabeth Van Nostran and her husband, Matthew; and Jonathon Brochu and his wife, Jessica and their children, Everett and Heather of Strongsville, Ohio; Mikea Morin and his wife Maria and their children, Micah and Matthew of Houston, Texas; Erin Fields and her husband, Ray Fields and their children, Victoria, Brooke, and Luke of Dumfries, Virginia; Kyle Murphy and his wife, Annika of Boston, Massachusetts; Kelsey Murphy of Maynard, Massachusetts; Carleen Knight and partner Mark Bowman of Chebeague Island, Maine; Thomas Knight and his wife, Lynn and their sons, Samuel and Charles, of Millbury, Massachusetts; Benjamin Knight of Holden, Massachusetts; Jessie Gould and her husband, Lane and their daughters, Kaley, Maya, and Ellie of Augusta; Jillian Knight and her partner, Stephen Sterling of Jacksonville, Florida; Allie Salvo and her husband Dan, and their children, Finnegan and Grace of South Portland; Eric Knight and his wife, Kate-Lyn and their daughter, Ivy of Cape Elizabeth. Knight, who was pre-deceased by his older brother, Lendall B. Knight, is also survived by his nephews and their families: Barton and his wife Stephanie of Cumberland; Daniel Knight and his wife, Beda of No. Yarmouth; and Lendall S. Knight of Arlington, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Lloyd’s memory to the Limerick Historical Society, P.O. Box 83, Limerick Maine 04048 or to Northern Light Mercy Hospital Foundation (for the Tyler Hospice Suite), PO Box 679, Portland, ME 04104-9804. Visiting hours are Friday, June 14, at the Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland, from 2 to 3pm, followed by a celebration of life from 3 to 4pm and a reception from 4 to 6pm at the Elizabeth Hobbs Hospitality Center next to the funeral home. Burial will be private at a later date. Read More
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Lloyd Robbins Knight October 5 1922 June 9 2019.
Death notice for the town of: South Portland, state: Maine