Caroline Mae Knestout

BOWIE, Md. – Caroline Mae (née Lucci) Knestout, 93, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Austin, Pa., July 5, 1927, the daughter of the late Mary and John (Carlo) Lucci. The family later moved to Paulsboro, N.J., where, as a young child, Mrs. Knestout would often cut out a nurse’s cap and apron from newspaper and pretend to be a nurse with her dolls.  She graduated from Paulsboro High School in 1945 and the West Jersey Hospital School of Nursing in September 1948. She moved soon after to California to work, returning to Paulsboro in 1950.

Mrs. Knestout married her husband, the late Rev. Mr. Thomas Knestout, in June 1954, and they moved to Maryland when he took a job with the National Security Agency in Fort Meade. She was a resident of Bowie, Md., living there for more than 40 years with her husband and children. In her later years she moved to Odenton, Md., and then to St. Martin’s Home in Baltimore, Md., operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor. She also spent four years in the 1960s in Ankara, Turkey, while her husband worked on an assignment there.

She worked for two decades as a Registered Nurse at Prince George’s General Hospital in Cheverly, Md., serving in the cardiac care, labor and delivery, and neonatal intensive care units.  She also served as a school nurse for the Prince George’s County School System. After retiring from nursing, she worked for 15 years as a library aide in the Prince George’s County Public Library in Bowie.

Mrs. Knestout was a devoted parishioner of St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Bowie, where her late husband was a permanent deacon for many years, frequently helping with his ministry work to the poor and hungry in the community through the parish’s Society of St. Vincent De Paul.  She was also a long-time member of the Sodality group and a Cub Scout Den Mother for her sons.

She enjoyed many activities over her long life, but especially cooking for her family, friends and relatives. Mrs. Knestout would turn out great pots of spaghetti, homemade sauce and meatballs, pizza, brownies, and other savory and sweet dishes based on Italian recipes her mother taught her, and which Mrs. Knestout later taught to her own daughters and sons. She was also known for her overflowing trays of cookies and candies each Christmas, many of which were, of course, Italian. In addition, she enjoyed traveling, taking many journeys to parts of the U.S. and Europe with her husband and family, and later on, in the company of friends.

Above all else, she taught her children to be kind and generous to others, and to live each day with joy and an open heart.

Mrs. Knestout was the sister of the late Carl Lucci and the late Joan Lucci Lentini. She was also the mother of the late Timothy Knestout, mother-in-law to the late Bruce Peters, and grandmother of the late Andrew Fowler.

She is survived by her sister, Annette Lucci Barnabie of Berlin, N.J., and her husband Armand. Mrs. Knestout is also survived by her children, Janice Colvin and her husband Robert of Elkton, Md.; Julia Peters of Bedford, Va.; Rosemarie Maslo and her husband Joe of Clarksville, Md.; Robert Knestout of Odenton, Md.; daughter-in-law Michelle Knestout of Frederick Md.; The Most Rev. Barry Knestout of Richmond, Va.; Thomas Knestout and his wife Jacqueline of Annapolis, Md.; Rev. Mark Knestout of Bethesda, Md.; and Brian Knestout and his wife Catherine of Silver Spring, Md.

Also surviving are grandchildren Brandon Clark and his wife Elisabeth; Pamela Lightner and her husband Billy; Dana Cline and her husband Jeff; Travis Peters and his wife Faith; Kristina Hoffmann and her husband Robert; Bryan Colvin and his wife Lindsey; Sarah Dymond and her husband Paul; John Maslo; Michael Knestout and his wife Maura; David Knestout; Colton Knestout; Destiny Knestout; Teresa Knestout; Luke Knestout; and Penelope Knestout.

And surviving are great-grandchildren Cole, Emma, and William; Chloe and Cash; William and Christopher; Amelia; Quinton and Cash; Zaiden and Aurora; and Benjamin, Scarlett, and Arielle.

A public visitation will be held for guests wishing to pay respects at Beall Funeral Home in Bowie on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. A private visitation and a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Pius X Church in Bowie on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. Masks are required.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Martin’s Home, 601 Maiden Choice Lane, Baltimore, Md., 21228-3630, or at http://www.littlesistersofthepoorbaltimore.org/donate-now/ .

Arrangements by Beall Funeral Home, 6512 Robert S. Crain Hwy., Bowie, Md. https://www.beallfuneral.com/

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