It is with heavy hearts and great sorrow to say that our beloved mother/grandmother/great-grandmother, Gladys Knight Estes-Kuhn, 92, went to a bigger audience above on Tuesday, June 12, 2012.

She was the first Gladys Knight on the airwaves and was referred to as “The Nightingale of the Airways” in this area. She sang with the Jack Staulcup band, as well as Sammy Kaye. She was the sweetest and funniest lady you would ever have the pleasure of meeting, and never had an enemy. Our hearts hurt so badly and the pain is so deep that we can’t seem to stop crying. We love you, Gladys!

Gladys Jean Knight was born on February 27, 1920, in Metropolis, Illinois, to Hugh Knight and Mary Alice Dyer.  She passed away Tuesday, June 12, 2012, at Metropolis Nursing and Rehab Center. She was married to Charles Estes on April 20, 1951, and she had four children, Allan Dale Kuhn, Alice Ann Giessinger, Michael Patrick Estes, and Stephen Barry Estes. She has four grandchildren, Jayme Hornback, Julie Sawyers, Mark Howard, and Joshua Estes. She also has 4 great-grandsons. Along with her parents, Gladys was preceded in death by her son, Michael; her brother, Marvin Knight, and her husband, Charles Estes. 

In 1982, Gladys retired from Hartford Insurance, St. Louis, Missouri, after over 20 years of service. She was of the Catholic faith.

So now, to the audience in Heaven above, without further ado, we’d like to introduce the songstress Gladys Knight! The stage is yours once again, Glady Baby! Knock ’em dead!

Funeral services will be Friday, June 15, 2012, at 10 a.m. at Aikins-Farmer Funeral Home in Metropolis, IL.

Visitation will be held Thursday, June 14, 2012, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Aikins-Farmer Funeral Home in Metropolis, IL.

Memorial contributions may take the form of donations to the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Illinois, 8430 West Bryn Mawr, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60631.