Leading up to the funeral for Roger Knight, the well-known Westbrook resident and lifelong farmer who died Sunday, the community has taken to social media to share condolences.

Knight died Sunday morning at his home at Smiling Hill Farm, just a few days shy of his 80th birthday.

In honor of his birthday, the Knight family, which has maintained the 500-acre farm for 12 generations, will host a celebration of life for Knight at the farm on Thursday, May 7, at 3 p.m.

Knight renamed the family farm Smiling Hill Farm after a favorite childhood book in 1974, and also founded the family’s Hillside Lumber Co. He’s credited with modernizing the farm and creating many of the features popular with visiting families. Many of those who have frequented Smiling Hill Farm over the years, sampling milk, cheese and ice cream and watching the farm animals, thanked Knight for his work.

Lea Rust, who works in Westbrook, said via Facebook that Knight’s death is a loss to the Westbrook community.

“May he rest in peace and know he was appreciated by all those in the community,” she said.

Westbrook resident Amy Hatch said, “RIP Mr. Knight. Thank you for all you have done.”

Another resident said the farm was a “gift he gave to us all” in Westbrook, and others thanked Knight for the “memories for me and my children.”

According to his obituary, Knight had been fighting myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of blood cancer, for the past nine years.

Warren Knight, Roger’s son and president of Smiling Hill Farm, said Monday that the family wanted to use his birthday Thursday as the backdrop for the celebration, which will take place outdoors at the farm.

“The more people who attend, the better, and he would’ve enjoyed it,” he said about the celebration Thursday.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Colleen Hilton said city officials were all saddened to learn of Knight’s passing. Hilton said Knight “was the farm, and did everything possible to keep its agrarian principles sustainable into the 21st century.”

Beyond the farm, she said, Knight was a family man and a community leader.

“He was a leader and an inspiration to many, a rare blend of principles and pragmatism,” Hilton said. “He will be sorely missed by family, friends, and the entire community.”

Lee Wormell, a Westbrook resident and fellow farmer, called Knight an entrepreneur, referring to his work at Smiling Hill.

Wormell, who owns a dairy farm in Cumberland, said Knight was always good to do business with. He said Knight was proud of his farm, and with good reason.

“He had a good sight of what the future was going to bring, and what it needed,” he said Wednesday. “He was well-liked by everybody and a good, honest guy.”

The Rev. Karen Indorf of Trinity Lutheran Church in Westbrook will lead the service Thursday. Knight was involved in the church, serving as a council president and singing in the choir.

On Wednesday, Indorf said Knight was “passionate about singing.” A decade ago, Knight started a singing group called Paul’s Pals, which sings at nursing homes once a month. Knight, along with his wife, also used to cook for the church’s community meal.

“(Knight was) always very gracious and kind,” she said. “He was well-loved and well-respected.”

According to the obituary, Knight attended the Thompson School of Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, graduated in 1957 with a degree in animal husbandry and returned to the family dairy farm with a goal of modernization and improvement.

“He was responsible for transitioning the farm to mechanization by purchasing the farm’s first tractor and installing the farm’s bulk milk cooling tank,” the obituary said.

In the 1980s, Knight began the farm’s well-known ice cream business with his daughter, Rebecca, and began the barnyard animal exhibits, which are still popular today.

According to the obituary, the barnyard was envisioned by Knight and his wife to be an educational experience for visitors, “instilling in new generations an appreciation for the importance of sustainable agriculture and humane animal husbandry.”

In 1995, Knight and his son, David, built the dairy facility in the red barn that has been a local landmark since 1915 to bottle milk in traditional glass bottles.

Knight was also a member of the Westbrook Zoning Board of Appeals, a City Council alderman and council president in the 1970s. He also contracted the school bus service for Westbrook and, according to his obituary, “many still fondly remember the adventure of him driving them to school.”

Knight, along with his sister, the late Frances Marsh, was also instrumental in finding the gravesite of Col. Thomas Westbrook in 1976. Westbrook had been buried secretly on the farm in an unmarked grave in 1744 by Knight’s ancestors, the colonel’s sister and brother-in-law, Nathan and Mary Westbrook Knight.

A photo of the sun setting on the Westbrook farm was posted on the Smiling Hill Farm Facebook page late Sunday. The post reads, “The sun quietly sets on the hill this evening, as we share the loss of our beloved father and favorite farmer, Roger Knight.”

Since then, hundreds of comments have been left, sharing condolences and thoughts about Knight.

“He had a lot of friends,” Warren Knight said.

According to the obituary, Knight is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sally, and together they raised six children that included two sets of twins. Dolby and Dorr Funeral Chapel in Gorham is handling arrangements.

Roger Knight