Don Ellis Knighton

Don Ellis Knighton

October 13, 1957 - April 8, 2025

Don was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 13, 1957. He became the youngest of four brothers.

Don passed away on April 8, 2025, at the age of 67 in Logan, Utah

Don is survived by 5 children and 12 grandchildren. Ami (Travis) Carley, Kristina, Dayson, and Anthony Vicchrilli, Justin (Ashley) Knighton, Asia Aten, Christian Aten, Diana (Daniel) Marissa Anderson, Jaiden Anderson, Kazli, Emma, and Nori Wiegand, Timothy Knighton, Crystal Yamasaki (Matt Olsen), Aiva Alvey.

Don is also survived by brothers, Raymond (Kathy) Knighton, Gary (Kellie) Knighton. Sisters, Joyce Casella, Lynda (Jay) Clark, Ruth (Bob) Harper, Sharon (Darren) Hardman, and Donna Knighton.

Don is also survived by two previous spouses, Cheryl Gittins mother of Ami, Justin, Diana, Timothy and Paula Bloxham mother of Crystal.

Don was preceded in death by his father, Parley King Knighton, his mother, Delna Bernice Burtenshaw Knighton, his oldest brother Wayne Elliott Knighton and his grandson, Damien Vicchrilli.

Don cherished his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He has an incredible testimony of his Savior, Jesus Christ. He found peace in his faith and contentment with his family. Even to his last breaths on the earth he was full of optimism, hope, and joy for living. He tried to make every day the best day yet!

Don was a lover of nature. He enjoyed many vacations to Yellowstone where he loved to hike and photograph the wildlife. Several of his photos appeared in National Geographic Magazine. Justin and Tim have fond memories of Don taking them fishing. Don loved to fish but he would have been happy to be anywhere outdoors spending time with his children.

Ami recalled how she loved to ride on the back of her dad’s motorcycle, view the bears in Yellowstone, and the vacation to Hawaii, Don took his entire family on in February.

Some of Justin’s favorite memories with his Dad come from their time at Yellowstone. Those times hold a special place in my heart—not just because of the beauty we experienced, but because of the way they showed who Dad really was brave, steady, and always looking out for us.

One trip I’ll never forget was when Dad and I were in Hayden Valley. We had hiked up to this little knoll to watch a grizzly bear mother and her two cubs. They were a good mile and a half away, and there were about ten other people up there with us, all quietly watching through spotting scopes. The mother bear started acting skittish, sniffing the air, pacing around. Then she bolted into the brush, and we weren’t sure why.

Just a few minutes later, we found out. That same mother bear suddenly appeared on our knoll—no more than 50 feet away. She stood up on her hind legs, towering over us. Every single person froze. No one moved. No one even dared to lift a camera. We were all too scared to breathe, unsure of what she would do. Finally, someone blew an air horn, and thankfully, it scared her off. She ran back into the forest, and we all stood there in stunned silence.

Later, Dad and I laughed about how we had been so close to this wild animal, and yet not one of us got a single photo because we were too scared. It became one of those stories that we’d retell again and again, partly terrifying, part hilarious. That moment said so much about life with Dad—full of wonder, sometimes a little wild, and always something to smile about in the end.

Another unforgettable memory happened on a family hike to Grebe Lake. We were all teenagers at the time, just enjoying a day out together. When we got to the lake, we noticed two guys fishing in the middle of the water. It was quiet and peaceful. Then, just like before, the wilderness had other plans.

A mama moose and her calf suddenly came running right past us—again, no more than 50 feet away. We instinctively backed into the trees to give them space. But then, just moments later, a massive bull moose burst out of the same trees we were standing nearby.

We were terrified. And that’s when Dad stepped in. Without hesitation, he tried to get the bull’s attention—putting himself between us and the danger. The moose charged straight at him, and the only thing separating them was a tree no thicker than four inches. They were nearly face to face.

Then, just as suddenly, the bull turned and ran back into the forest. Later, we found out from those fishermen that there had been a grizzly bear nearby, and the bull had likely smelled it, panicking and fleeing.

We were shaken, but more than anything, we were grateful. Grateful that we were okay—and grateful to Dad for his bravery. That day, he didn’t hesitate. He did what he always did—put his family first, no matter the risk.

I’ve thought about that moment so many times over the years. About how things could’ve ended differently if it weren’t for Dad’s courage. That’s who he was—steadfast, strong, and full of love. He wasn’t loud about it. He didn’t need to be. His actions always spoke for themselves.

It’s memories like these that remind me just how lucky we were to have him. Dad was the kind of man who would stand between you and danger, laugh with you when the fear had passed, and hold onto the story just long enough to remind you that life is precious—and sometimes a little wild.

He gave us so many moments of love, of courage, of quiet strength. And though he’s no longer with us, those moments will stay with us always. We carry them forward, just as we carry his spirit. In our stories, in our laughter, in our love—he’s still here. And always will be.

Tim’s favorite memories about his dad. I remember my dad and I had many fun adventures together, all the family reunions, the family get-togethers, and all the trips we took together. Dad loved being out in nature, seeing the mountains, all the trees, and wildlife, especially Yellowstone National Park. Two of his favorite animals were the grizzly bear and the wolves; he absolutely loved tracking them.

One of the last trips my dad and I took was to the Grand Canyon, Arches, Monument Valley, and Bryce Canyon in Aug 2022 after the Burtenshaw Family reunion.

I will never forget the times that we went fishing last fall up by First Dam Reservoir. While my dad and I were fishing, we saw a doe with a fawn up on the hillside. It made us both happy.

Our final trip was to Honolulu, Hawaii earlier this year. Dad was an avid animal lover and will be missed. I LOVE YOU DAD .

Diana recalls, when I was little, he used to curl my hair for church and while he was curling my hair, he would sing the ants go marching one by one.

He would have us pour plaster tracks when we were in Yellowstone, we had so many wolf prints. It didn’t matter where the tracks were located, we were going to get to them.

Emma and Nori, his granddaughters, loved to go over and do his nails or pretend they were doctors. If Grandpa got out of line Emma would say get out of my office. They had so much fun playing with him. He always stayed so positive.

Another outdoor activity that Don enjoyed was gardening. He always had a beautiful, well maintained, bountiful garden. He also spent many hours with his metal detector searching for treasure. While living in Georgia the Flying J was building a truck in Resaca the site happened to be

In the area of a Civil War battleground. When the site was stripped of the topsoil Don was out there with hundreds of local people and found many Civil War relics, including bullets, fragments of cannonballs and buttons. Gary still has several lead bullets.

One of my favorite stories about Don included nature, but not the beauty of it. When we were living in Louisiana, he was outside one night and came rushing into the house, out of breath, pasty white, and told us there was a monster in the yard and it was staring right at him. The monster was a pile of leaves with two paper coffee cups, the kind that had the foldable circle handle, those were the eyes that were staring at him.

Don worked for many years as an Architectural designer for Flying J and Architectural Design West. After becoming a licensed architect, he opened his own firm, Don Knighton Architect.

Don lived in Cache Valley for many years and has many dear friends, business associates, and family in the area.

A viewing will be held on April 16, 2025, from 6:00 - 8:00 P.M. at Allen Hall Mortuary on Center Street in Logan, Utah.

Funeral Services will be held Thursday, April 17 at 11:00 a.m. at the Smithfield 25th Ward (Birch Creek Building), 660 W 200 N Smithfield, Utah. The viewing will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church.

The internment will take place at the Smithfield City Cemetery immediately following the funeral service.

Memories and condolences may be shared and expressed at www.allenmortuaries.com.

*Disclaimer: If for some reason the livestream of the Funeral Service does not work we will record the service and upload the video and/or audio recording at a later date.*