Obituary of Gladys Vernice Knight

Funeral service for Gladys Vernice Knight of Childersburg will be Saturday, December 26, 2015 at 2:00 pm at Usrey Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Keith Owensby and Rev. Charlie Bolt will officiate. Burial will be in Pine Hill Memorial Park. Her family will receive friends Saturday from 1-2 pm at Usrey Funeral Home of Talladega. Mrs. Knight passed away at home surrounded by her family December 23, 2015. She is preceded in death by son, Jimmy Knight. Gladys first worked at the Bemis Bag Company in Talladega. After her husband returned from WWII, they started the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Talladega in 1953. IN 1959, Mrs. Knight opened Merle Norman Cosmetics located above Goldberg and Lewis on the Talladega Square. The business was later moved to the Talladega Shopping Center. Mrs. Knight, Mrs. Allie Wilson and Mrs. Margaret Sims worked together at Merle Norman and were affectionately known as the “Merle Girls” selling cosmetic to women throughout Talladega County. Mrs. Knight is survived by her loving husband of 71 years James W. Knight, sister, Betty Steed, grandchildren, Jimmy Knight and Gina Deupree, great-grandchildren, Preston and Camden Knight, Kaitlyn, Limbaugh, Kristen Deupree. Pallbearers will be Jimmy Knight, Chris Deupree, Camden Knight, Cole Limbaugh, Justin Baker, and Ken Clark. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Valley View Church of God..