ON A BEAUTIFUL NOVEMBER DAY IN 1994, A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL WAS BORN TO A YOUNG MARINE, DAVID KNIGHT, AND HIS WIFE CLARISSA.

SHE WAS BORN ON VETERAN'S DAY IN JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. SHE WAS A HANDFUL FROM DAY ONE, EXCEPT FOR SLEEPING. SHE STARTED SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT AT ONLY A MONTH AND A HALF OLD. HER PARENTS BOTH AGREED THAT SHE MUST HAVE DONE SO ON PURPOSE, IN ORDER TO ALLOW THEM THE ENERGY THEY WOULD NEED TO KEEP UP WITH HER FROM THAT POINT ON.

ALTHOUGH SHE WAS BORN IN NORTH CAROLINA, SHE GREW UP HERE IN OKLAHOMA LIKE BOTH OF HER PARENTS, AFTER AGE 2.

EVEN THOUGH HER PARENTS WERE NO LONGER TOGETHER AFTER MICHAELLA TURNED 3, THEY BOTH TRIED VERY HARD TOB E THE BEST AT CO-PARENTING HER THROUGHOUT HER ENTIRE SCHOOL CAREER. FROM HER DAYS AT RAINBOW PRE-K, WHERE SHE WOULD MAKE MANY FRIENDS WHO WOULD CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HER FOR YEARS TO COME. THESE FRIENDS WERE BY HER SIDE THROUGH, NOT JUST HER TIME AT SANGRE RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH HER HIGH SCHOOL YEARS AS WELL. SHE TRULY ENJOYED BEING IN SCHOOL, AND ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO THE BEGINNING OF EACH NEW SCHOOL YEAR. MAKING SURE TO COLLECT AND ORGANIZE ALL OF HER SCHOOL SUPPLIES AHEAD OF TIME. AS SHE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED ALL OF THE NEW ADVENTURES SHE WOULD SHARE WITH HER FRIENDS AS SHE WORKED HER WAY TOWARDS GRADUATION.

SHE ESPECIALLY ENJOYED BEING IN CHOIR EVERY YEAR. MUSIC WAS ALWAYS A VERY BIG AND VERY IMPORTANT PART OF HER LIFE. IT SEEMED TO SPEAK TO HER, AND SHE COULD FEEL THE EMOTIONS THAT WERE MEANT TO COME THROUGH THE MUSIC. ALMOST AS IF IT WERE A TANGIBLE THING AND SHE COULD REACH OUT AND HOLD IT IN HER HAND OR WRAP HERSELF UP IN IT LIKE AN OLD FAVORITE BLANKET. IF YOU DIDN'T FIND HER SEARCHING FOR NEW MUSIC ON YOUTUBE, YOU WOULD CERTAINLY HEAR HER BLASTING IT THROUGH THE ENTIRE HOUSE AS SHE CLEANED AND WORSHIPPED AT THE SAME TIME.

FINALLY, IN 2013, SHE TURNED A DREAM INTO REALITY BY ACHIEVING HER GRADUATION FROM THE VERY SAME HIGH SCHOOL THAT BOTH OF HER PARENTS, DAVID AND CLARISSA, HAD ATTENDED. ALMOST EXACTLY 20 YEARS AFTER HER MOTHER GRADUATED, NOT ONLY FROM THE SAME SCHOOL, BUT ALSO IN THE VERY SAME GYMNASIUM THAT STILLWATER HIGH SCHOOL ALWAYS HOLDS THEIR COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES. IT WAS A VERY SPECIAL MOMENT FOR ALL, AND SOMEWHAT SURREAL, BUT IN A GOOD WAY.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS, MICHAELLA WOULD SEE HER SHARE OF UPS AND DOWNS. STRUGGLING TO FIND HER PLACE IN THE WORLD. STRUGGLING TO BETTER HERSELF IN MANY WAYS. UNFORTUNATELY, ALSO, STRUGGLING WITH DEMONS SUCH AS DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND SADLY, WITH ADDICTION AS WELL.

THEN, IN JULY OF 2020, EVERYTHING CHANGED.

WHILE COPING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF A TERRIBLE AND NEARLY FATAL CAR ACCIDENT, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT NOT ONLY WOULD MICHAELLA SURVIVE THIS HORRIBLE EVENT, BUT THAT THERE WAS ALSO A BLESSING AND A MIRACLE OF A WHOLE OTHER KIND HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MICHAELLA WAS IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF BRINGING A NEW LIFE INTO THIS WORLD.

UPON LEARNING THIS NEWS, PROCESSING IT, AND WRAPPING HER OWN HEAD AROUND THE PROSPECT OF WHAT LAID AHEAD, SHE BEGAN A COMMITMENT TO STAYING HEALTHY AND TAKING BETTER CARE OF HERSELF, EATING RIGHT, AND WALKING DAILY. FINDING A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE AND STRIVING TO MAKE SOLID PLANS FOR BOTH HER AND HER NEW BABY'S FUTURE. THERE WERE, OF COURSE, TIMES OF STRUGGLE AND UNEXPECTED ISSUES TO DEAL WITH AT TIMES. BUT SHE DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT HER BABY WOULD ALWAYS BE SAFE AND HEALTHY.

THEN, ON FEBRUARY 17TH, 2021 IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE WORST WINTER STORMS THAT OKLAHOMA HAD SEEN IN 20 YEARS, MICHAELLA'S MOTHER DROVE FROM STILLWATER TO BARTLESVILLE TO BE WITH HER DAUGHTER DURING THE WHOLE PROCESS, OF WHAT WAS TO BECOME A MOST BLESSED MOMENT INDEED.

THAT NIGHT MICHAELLA GAVE BIRTH TO A VERY BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY BABY BOY! EYAN O'NEAL KNIGHT.

IF YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT MICHAELLA LOOKED LIKE AS A CHILD, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL BOY'S FACE. HE IS THE SPITTING IMAGE OF HIS MOTHER. JUST AS WONDERFULLY CURIOUS, BRIGHT, ENERGETIC AND FULL OF LIFE AS SHE WAS TOO!

IT WAS NEAR THIS TIME THAT MICHAELLA HAD FELT A SENSE OF BEING REBORN HERSELF, BUT IT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME SHE HAD FELT THIS.

MICHAELLA FELT THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE FIRST TIME AT FALLS CREEK CHURCH CAMP, NEAR DAVIS, OK. HER MOTHER REMEMBERS HER TELLING HER HOW DEEPLY SHE FELT IT AND HOW EXCITING IT WAS TO EXPERIENCE IT. HER MOTHER TOLD HER THAT WHEN THAT MANY BELIEVERS ARE IN ONE PLACE TO WORSHIP TOGETHER.... IT'S HARD NOT TO FEEL THE HOLY SPIRIT! SO, IT'S NO WONDER THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND SUCH A PLACE TO WORSHIP AS VICTORY CHURCH. THE PEOPLE WELCOMED HER WITH OPEN ARMS, WARM HEARTS, AND NO JUDGEMENTS. PEOPLE WHO MADE HER FEEL SAFE AND LOVED. SHE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBTS THAT SHE TRULY HAD FOUND HER CHURCH HOME AND FAMILY. SHE TRULY LOVED VICTORY CHURCH AND EVERYONE SHE HAD MET THERE. EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER WAS BAD, SHE WOULD STAY HOME AND STREAM THE SERVICE, LATER TELLING HER MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER ABOUT THE SERMON AND THE MUSIC, WHICH WAS HER FAVORITE PART OF WORSHIP.

MICHAELLA'S FAMILY WASN'T MADE AWARE OF HER STRUGGLES WITH ADDICTION UNTIL SHE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO OPEN UP TO THEM ABOUT IT WITHIN THE PAST TWO YEARS. SHE HAD TOLD THEM THAT SHE HAD REACHED OUT FOR HELP FROM A PROGRAM CALLED CELEBRATE RECOVERY. IN THIS PROGRAM SHE MET MANY GOOD PEOPLE WHO BECAME FRIENDS TO HER AND TRIED TO HELP HER AS MUCH AS THEY COULD.

WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS FROM HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS, SHE TRIED VERY HARD TO OVERCOME HER ADDICTIONS, THAT PLAGUED HER MUCH DEEPER THAN ANYONE KNEW.

MICHAELLA FEARED JUDGEMENT FROM OTHERS. SHE FEARED THAT SOME WOULD TURN AWAY FROM HER AS OTHERS HAD. SHE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK BADLY OF HER, AND SO, SHE WOULD ONLY ALLOW PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT SHE WANTED THEM TO SEE. THEREFORE, NOBODY SAW THE FULL PICTURE. MAYBE SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD CONTROL IT. MAYBE SHE WAS ASHAMED. MAYBE BOTH.

SADLY, HOWEVER, ON MAY 9TH 2025, MICHAELLA LOST HER BATTLE WITH THE ADDICTIONS SHE FOUGHT SO HARD TO OVERCOME.

AS WE GATHER HERE TODAY TO SHARE IN THE PAIN, AND THE SORROW THAT WE ALL FEEL WITH HER PASSING, WE CAN ALSO TAKE COMFORT. THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE THAT IT TOOK FOR HER TO FACE HER DEMONS.....THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED. IT WILL BE THE LOVE THAT SHE HAD FOR ALL WHO KNEW HER THAT STANDS OUT. IT WILL BE HER SMILE AND HER HEART AND HER LAUGHTER, AND HER LOVE OF GOD THAT WE REMEMBER MOST ABOUT HER!
SHE WILL BE FOREVER MISSED.
FOREVER REMEMBERED.
FOREVER LOVED.
FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS.
FOREVER WITH JESUS.
IN LIEU OF CUSTOMARY REMEMBRANCES, THE FAMILY REQUESTS DONATIONS BE MADE TO, HTTPS://GOFUND.ME/4BAD255