Mary Kathryn "Kat" Banks

         A Memorial Visitation for Mary Kathryn “Kat” Banks, 70, of Lufkin, will be held Saturday, May 24, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at Shafer Funeral Home in Lufkin. A Celebration of Life will follow from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the home of Mary Banks, located at 5047 Hwy 103 West, Lufkin, Texas 75904.

          Ms. Banks was born on August 15, 1954, in Lufkin, Texas, to William Banks and Mary Lee (Putnam) Banks, and died Sunday, May 18, 2025, in Houston, Texas.

          Kat was a remarkable woman, one whose soul touched each and every one of ours and left its mark. Born the fourth child and second daughter in a family of six children, she grew up in a world far simpler than today, imagination was a pastime, and rebellion was more about wonder than rule-breaking. She was a dreamer with a wild heart made of gold.

          She and her siblings spent their days riding “horses” which resembled a tall tree with a bend in the trunk or sneaking off to play in the creek behind the house, even though they were warned not to by their momma. They filled their time fishing, catching crawfish with bacon on a string, huge tadpoles and freshwater eels. A life filled with muddy feet, happy hearts, and laughter that echoed through the woods as they sang at the top of their lungs and played until the sun gave out. It was a start to life that forged an unbreakable bond with her family, which would carry each of them through life's many ups and downs.

           She attended school in Hudson and married Leo Knight in 1969. They were blessed with 3 children: Billy Joe, John Michael and Cynthia Ann. She loved her children with everything she had. After losing “Cindy” as an infant, she spent the years building memories with her sons. There is nothing she wouldn’t have done for them, they were her greatest sense of pride. 

           She was a woman of simple pleasures. She loved a good dirt road under her tires, water in any form: lake, river, bay or creek and casting a line while fishing. She loved to wander the shoreline or creek bed, searching for arrowheads and Indian relics, connecting her to her Indian heritage. 

           She loved any excuse for a get together, large or small, front porch sitting and visiting,  a family meal gathered around the kitchen, a fire on a cool night with a cold Budweiser in her hand and someone picking the guitar or music flowing out of a radio. She just loved to be surrounded by family and friends.

           Her hugs wrapped around your soul, and you couldn’t help but feel her love for you, followed by her big ol’ smile when she let you go. It was the kind of hug that lingers in all of our memories. Her laugh was unmistakable and unforgettable. It started deep and rolled through her like thunder, especially when she was truly tickled, spilling out until everyone around her joined in, sometimes not even knowing why. I don’t think she ever realized how many people she touched with her love of laughter and life. 

           She wasn’t afraid to put some miles on a vehicle. Throughout her life she traveled all over the state of Texas and the U.S. working shutdowns and construction until she became a land man, researching properties and obtaining permits for oil & gas companies. She had the spirit of a gypsy and the heart of a homebody, somehow managing to be both. Once she made up her mind she was leaving, it didn’t take long to pack her life into her lil’ silver mustang and hit the road, windows down, music up, hair in that long, low ponytail or a braid, cigarette in hand. She’d be gone for a while, exploring new places and meeting new faces but no matter where her grand adventures took her, she always returned home to her family.

          She leaves behind a world a little quieter for her absence, but so much richer for her time in it. A rebel, a caregiver, a storyteller, a singer of songs, a lover of the wild and the wind, she was one of a kind. She is already greatly missed, and her departure leaves a hole in our hearts, but knowing she has been reunited with all 3 of her children, her daddy and brother, helps ease the pain until we see her again. So raise a Budweiser to the sky, sit around a fire, and laugh loud, long, and true. That’s how she’d want to be remembered.

          She is survived by her mother, Mary Banks; brother and sister-in-law, Rusty “Billy” and Pat Banks; sister and brother-in-law, Ann and DeWayne Phillips; sister, Nona Banks; brother and sister-in-law, James and Cindy Banks; grandchildren and spouses, B.J. and Jen Knight, Aaron Knight, Kathryn Knight, Jacob and Hope Knight, James Knight, Katie Knight, Chase and Hannah Knight, Cody and Kristen Knight, and River Knight; great-grandchildren, Walker, Leighton, Truly, Southern, Emberlee, and Paisley; and Kat was loved by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

           She was preceded in death by her father, William Banks; daughter, Cindy Knight; sons, Michael Knight and Billy Joe Knight; and brother, Steve Banks.

           Shafer Funeral Home, Lufkin directors.