It is with sadness that Canoe Kayak Canada acknowledges the passing of Ray Knight. Knight was Commodore of the Canadian Canoe Association in 1971. He was a member of the Balmy Beach Canoe Club and a great friend to the sport. He will be missed dearly by family and friends. A tribute article by past Commodore Don May is presented below.

by Don May

Recently Ray Knight passed away and I, like many others, will miss him.

He was a member of the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club for a number of years and he was devoted to the sport of sprint racing.

I knew Ray Knight as a friend for many years.  He grew up in the Beaches in Toronto and hung out with the Wineva Ave boys. When I joined the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club, Ray followed me along with others from the Beaches. We formed a War Canoe and Rays’ specialty was being the coxswain.

In 1953 and 1961, I paddled in the War Canoe and Ray was the coxswain. In 1953 we won Senior Men’s War Canoe 1-Mile at Nationals in Ottawa. In 1961, we placed 3rd in Senior Men’s War Canoe 1 Mile.

His love of the sport was evident as he became Commodore of CCA in 1971. In his later years, he was a Master paddler at Balmy Beach Canoe Club where he met his partner, Audrey Spencer. They spent many good years together.

Ray spent many hours at Balmy Beach devoted to the care and maintenance of the boats and paddling club.  He taught many young paddlers how to care for the boats and equipment.

Ray was a personal friend of mine for many years and gave his heart to the sport and clubs he belonged to.

He recently celebrated his 89th birthday at the Balmy Beach Club.

Ray, you will be missed.

Don May
Past Commodore CCA