Bud McKnight, Former Middletown Fire Chief, Passes Away

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Austen Blair (Bud) McKnight, Jr., 77, of Lincroft passed away peacefully at home on October 18.

Austen was a member of the Lincroft Fire Company for 52 years, was Fire Chief in Middletown for five years and received a key to the city for 50 years of service in 2017, where June 19 was dedicated as “Bud McKnight Day” in Middletown.

He was born in Jersey City and lived in the Red Bank-Lincroft area all his life. He has an older brother William, and a predeceased sister, Jeanne. Austen joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve serving in the fire company.

He worked in New York for Whittiker Paper Company, owned the Bud McKnight Drapery Service for the past 55 years and worked as Director for We Care Adult Care in Middletown.

Bud is survived by his high school sweetheart of 56 years, Gayle Beebe; four children: Stacey, Bryan, Allison and Austen III; in-laws: Julie McKnight, Michael Zwernemann, and Brenda McKnight; 12 grandchildren: Christopher, Ashley, Alexis, Nicholas, Kyle, Tyler, Jordan, Courtney, Brian, Morgan, Austen IV, and Connor; and eight great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held this Thursday, October 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Pfleger’s Funeral Home with the Middletown Fire Department, 115 Tindall Road, Middletown.

Funeral service scheduled for Friday October 25 at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Holmdel at 10 a.m. Burial service will follow at Woodbine Cemetery, 14B Maple Avenue, Oceanport, NJ. In lieu of flowers the family ask that donations be made to the Lincroft Fire Company.