Robert Anthony Knight was born in Dallas, Texas, June 5, 1955, and died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack on Feb. 27, 2018 at Washington Regional Hospital in Fayetteville. Tony and his wife, Sara, moved to Eureka Springs from Dallas in August 2011. They established Paper Odyssey, a store they ran for 12 years, giving a new “twist” to the stores in Eureka. They taught people to create cards and gifts with rubberstamps and exotic papers from around the world. In addition to constantly demonstrating in the store, they taught classes on rubber stamping, scrapbooking and gift making as well as collage art.
Tony was a warm and caring man who was often referred to as an angel or a saint. He took fabulous care of Sara over the years who suffered from primary myelofibrosis.
Superman was his favorite Marvel Comic, though he enjoyed others as well. The child in him was constantly reaching out to the child in his customers. For the first five or six years they had the store they sold comics and toys, in addition to paper products.
For more than 30 years, Tony was a housepainter in Dallas and Eureka Springs. For nearly six years, he was the custodian at the First United Methodist Church here. It always made him proud to make the church shine. Tony loved to play his guitars, and wrote a beautiful song called “Angels of Eureka,” and others.
Tony is survived by his wife, Sara, of Eureka Springs; stepdaughter Heather Elena Humphery Wanamaker and son-in-law, Carl Wanamaker, of Charleston, S.Car.; sister Linda Anderson of South Texas; nephew Matt Anderson and family of Brownsville, Texas; sister-in-law Barbara Cole of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada; sister-in-law Rachel Runnels, of Minneapolis, Minn., (formerly of Eureka Springs); and brother-in-law Dr. J. Fitch of Natchez, Miss.
Tony, we all love you and miss you, and look forward to the day we will all meet again in the “great beyond!”
A memorial service will be announced at a later time. Condolences may be sent care of the First United Methodist Church, 195 Huntsville Road, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632 or Brighton Ridge Nursing Home, 235 Huntsville Road, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, Sara’s new residence).
Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service and online condolences may be sent to the family at nelsonfuneral.com. © Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. 2018