Letitia "Tish" Knoeller

Letitia “Tish” Knoeller died Sunday, February 9, 2025, at Norton Brownsboro Hospital following a brief illness. 

She was born in 1937 to George and Kathryn Frank Knoeller and lived most of her life in Middletown. As a granddaughter of Henry Frank, Middletown’s early prominent builder and contractor, Tish was part of the fabric of historic Middletown her entire life. She graduated from Eastern High School, Morehead State University, and Western Kentucky University. Her professional career included teaching positions at Shawnee High School and Barrett Middle School in Physical Education and Social Studies. She loved to tell great stories (whether true or not!) and was easily distracted by a student’s question that sparked a story.

But her real passion was trains. As a young girl, she could hear the whistle of the interurban railway in Anchorage and dreamed of the day she could ride on a train. Her greatest thrill was becoming the first female steam locomotive engineer in Kentucky at the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven. She loved taking passengers on the old steam engine and was known as “Thomas’ Mommy” when Thomas the Tank Engine was in town. 

Tish was an active member of First Baptist Church in Middletown, where her grandfather built the sanctuary in 1925. She was one of the first two women ordained as deacons at First Baptist in 2001. She was also known as a superb first baseman and catcher on several softball teams. She volunteered for many years at the Middletown Museum.

Tish was strong and vocal on many issues, but she was especially incensed by injustice of any kind. Because she felt she was discounted due to her sex, she vigorously defended anyone else who suffered discrimination. She was fiercely independent but had a soft spot for anyone who was trying to do their best under harsh circumstances. 

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother. She is survived by many Middletown friends and her church family. 

A Celebration of Life service will be held at the First Baptist Church, 11721 Main Street, in Middletown, Kentucky, on Saturday, March 15. Visitation will begin at 12 noon and the service will be at 1:00 in the Sanctuary. She was cremated and her ashes will be scattered on the tracks at the Kentucky Railway Museum later this Spring. 

For the last two years, Tish lived at Parrs at Springhurst Assisted Living. Her friends are grateful for the care she received and the wonderful staff who cared for her. 

Memorial donations may be made to the First Baptist Church of Middletown to be used for maintenance of the sanctuary building built by her grandfather. For more information, contact the church office at 502-245-7889. 

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