John Leo Knott

John Leo Knott passed away peacefully on February 19, 2010, surrounded by most of his family. He is the father of Frank Knott of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

For 35 years, Mr. Knott served daily Mass at Loyola College chapel. He was a founding parishioner of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, where he served as the first chairman of the Maintenance Committee for 10 years and also served on the Parish Executive Committee.

A life long resident of Baltimore, he was the second youngest and the last surviving of six sons of the late Henry Aden and Martha Doyle Knott. Mr. Knott, president of Henry A. Knott Remodeling Co. was married to Ann Bowers Reed, who died in 2009 after 68 years of marriage.

Mr. Knott lived at the Edenwald Retirement Community in Towson for the past 11 years. Prior to that he and his wife lived in Guilford for 40 years, where they raised their family.

Mr. Knott was born on May 2, 1915 at Eden Street in East Baltimore. After graduating from the Cathedral School in 1930 and Loyola High School in 1934, he worked at the Baltimore News Post and American as Secretary to the City Circulation Manager. He attended the Maryland Institute of Accounting and Finance (now the University of Baltimore), where he earned his accounting degree. He also completed architectural drawing courses at Maryland Institute. In 1937 he became the Credit Manager for J.H. Filbert, Inc.

During World War II, Mr. Knott served in the Army from April-July 1943. He then enlisted in the Navy in October 1943 and served as a Navy Storekeeper in the finance office for the Pacific Naval Air Command in Pearl Harbor from 1944-1946. One of his duties was to fly to other Pacific Islands and distribute payroll every two weeks to sailors serving the U.S. Pacific Command.

In 1946 Mr. Knott joined his father’s construction company, the Henry A. Knott Company, where he served as supervisor of heavy construction activities and as Senior Vice-President. In 1953, he established the Henry A. Knott Remodeling Company as a separate division and built it into the largest historic renovation and remodeling company in Maryland. His firm took on a number of complicated and well-known historic restoration projects including Maryland’s State Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion in Annapolis. He believed deeply in his father’s principle that “No job is so small that it should not be done as perfectly as humanly possible”.

In 1950, John L. Knott with his brother Charles A. Knott and six other Baltimore contractors created the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). He served as the 9th President of ABC in 1960. Kirk Pickerel, the current President and CEO of ABC, stated, "John Knott, and his brother Charles, were two of the original founders of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. Their shared vision of starting a group to defend the rights of Merit Shop construction contractors to do business in all markets has grown from a local affiliation of seven companies in 1950 to an organization today that serves 25,000 companies which employ nearly two million workers. John's leadership sixty years ago has left a legacy that is still felt in the construction industry today."

In 1960, Governor Millard Tawes asked Mr. Knott to help draft a new law and to lead support for the formation of the Maryland Home Improvement Commission to protect the interests of Maryland Consumers. He strongly supported a law to control unethical contractor practices in the remodeling of homes. He served as an original commissioner of the Home Improvement Commission of Maryland for 20 years. Mr. Knott was a former member of the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau for over 25 years. He was instrumental in having the Better Business Bureau initiate arbitrations between consumers and businesses, which has become a standard Better Business Bureau practice throughout the United States.

Mr. Knott was a founding director of National City Bank, which later became Suburban Bank. He also served as a member of the board of directors of Clifton Trust Bank, Colonial Savings & Loan and Security Savings and Loan Association.

A life long golfer and member of the Baltimore Country Club, he was a founder of the Golfer’s Charitable Association, the sponsor of LPGA golf tournaments in Baltimore for many years. In addition, he chaired the CYO Golf Tournament for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which raised funds to support the CYO Retreat Center in Sparks, Maryland.

His greatest charitable endeavor was for the Little Sisters of the Poor. Mr. Knott helped form the Men’s Advisory Board, which he chaired for 35 years. He helped the Little Sisters deal with numerous regulatory and business issues and helped serve the residents on major holidays. Sr. Celine de la Visitation, Superior General of the Little Sisters of the Poor based in La Tour, France said, “Mr. Knott was a good friend of the Little Sisters. He helped establish our Board of Advisors in Baltimore and to get us started in our new St. Martin’s home in 1969. I cannot thank Mr. Knott enough for all that he has done for the Little Sisters. I am certain that God will bless him for his generosity and his devotedness to us and many others.”

Mr. Knott was predeceased by his wife, Ann Bowers Reed, who died on August 18, 2009. He is survived by his nine children: John and his wife Diane of Charleston, SC; Frank and his wife Carolyn of Baltimore; Annmarie Lerch and her husband Charles of Baltimore; Mary Mart Balko and her husband James of Baltimore; Jane Henderson and her husband Paul of Shillington, PA; Betty Bates of Springfield, MO; Michael and his wife Patricia of York, SC; Terese Kelly and her husband Al of Burlington, MA, and Rosemary Haynes and her husband James of Baltimore. Also, 22 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren survive him.