Wife’s tribute to kind dad and husband
THE devastated wife of a Carmarthen-born dad-oftwo, who died while walking on a famous peak in north Wales, has paid tribute to her “incredibly kind” husband.
Richard Knight, 50, who was living in Mold, collapsed and died suddenly during a solo walk at the Moel Famau beauty spot in the Clwydian Range in Flintshire on July 11.
His wife Lizzie has paid a loving tribute to her husband, describing him as “a family man who loved his children”.
Mrs Knight said: “Once he was your friend, he was your friend for life. He was incredibly kind and he had a wicked sense of humour.
“He was very, very clever and he had a dry sense of humour.
“He was a family man who adored his children and he gave a lot to both of them.”
Mr Knight, a director at Gamlins Solicitors in Mold, had enjoyed a successful career in the law.
He was a former pupil of Carmarthen’s Pentrepoeth Primary School and Queen Elizabeth Maridunum School.
He went on to the University of Wales in Cardiff to study law.
Mr and Mrs Knight both attended the same school and university, but it was not until after university that they became a couple.
After completing his studies in Cardiff, he attended Chester Law School before heading to Canada for a year for further studies.
Following a period of training in Maidstone, he got his first job in Chester before the couple settled in Mold in 1999.
His wife said: “Throughout his working career he kept lots of friends.
“He was very respected professionally but he was an incredibly humble person and there were no airs and graces.
“He was incredibly down to earth.”
She said that her husband was devoted to his 18-year-old daughter
Carys and 16-year-old son Steffan.
She added: “He spent hours watching Steffan play football and he used to go to watch Carys play in various orchestras. He was a very kind man.
“We are not originally from North Wales and all of our family is in South Wales, so we are very close as a family but I have to say that we have had so much support over the past couple of weeks.
“I really feel that the community has wrapped their arms around us and they are holding us.
“We have had so many visitors and phone calls. He had friends around the world.”
Mrs Knight, headteacher at Ysgol Bro Famau in Denbighshire, said she was grateful to those who had tried to save her husband on the hillside.
She said: “What has been a huge comfort to me is that he wasn’t on his own and that somebody went to him straight away.
“I don’t know who that person was but it was a member of the public and they went to him straight away.
“Another member of the public went to him and they happened to be a member of the North East Wales Search and Rescue team [NEWSAR] and that person called for help straight away.
“I have spoken to the team leader of NEWSAR and I know from what he said that everybody did their best for him and he had the best care.
“He could have been on his own but he wasn’t and that does bring me great comfort.”
Mrs Knight said her husband was a keen walker who would regularly head out with his dog, or with friends and family.
He was also passionate about sport, especially rugby, and would also regularly travel with his son to watch football team Tottenham Hotspur play matches.
Ron Davison, managing director at Gamlins, said: “Richard joined Gamlins Law in 2010 and soon became a partner and later shareholder.
“He previously worked for a number of very large law firms including multinational firm DWF, specialising in property law.
“Clients loved his personable style and he would consistently go above and beyond.
“When recently faced with a dilemma of needing to execute a will of a bedbound client at the beginning of lockdown, Richard calmly obtained a ladder and dealt with all documents through the first floor window.”
He added: “His impact on Gamlins Law was immeasurable. Not only was he an excellent lawyer with a loyal client base, but a great friend whose humour and dry wit will never be forgotten.
“Richard’s input into navigating the issues Gamlins Law faced in overcoming such challenges was pragmatic, calm and most importantly, hilarious.
“On a recent, particularly important, zoom video conference his fellow shareholders were shocked when Richard’s image appeared on the screen with the backdrop of a Caribbean beach behind him.
“Humour was very much ingrained in his approach to life. Gamlins Law will simply not be the same without him.
“He was ever-present on Gamlins Law walking challenges and will be sorely missed by hundreds of fellow participants of the Annual Lawnet Mountain Walk Challenge.
“He gave everyone a chance and treated all colleagues and fellow lawyers with respect. You knew exactly where you were with ‘Dicky’.
“He is a huge loss to the legal and business community in north Wales.”
Mr Knight’s funeral will be held at Northop Crematorium on Friday.