May 14, 2003 — Oct. 8, 2012

NATCHEZ — Services for Zackia Darnell McKnight, 9, of Cannonsburg, who died Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, at Natchez Regional Medical Center, will be a 2 p.m. Sunday at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church with the Rev. Walter Sago officiating.

Burial will follow at the McKnight Cemetery under the direction of Robert D. Mackel and Sons Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home and from 1 p.m. until service time Sunday at the church.

Prince Zackia Darnell McKnight was born May 14, 2003, at 2:37 p.m. to Bessie Lashonda McKnight and Marcus Terrell Walton at Natchez Regional Medical Center. At age 9, Prince Zackia acknowledged the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ. He was baptized July 13, 2012, at Mercy Seat Baptist Church under the leadership of the Rev. Walter L. Sago. Later he joined New Zion Baptist Church No. 1 under the leadership of the Rev. Earnest Ford Jr., serving on the Usher Board.

Prince Zackia was a fourth-grade student at Jefferson County Elementary School in Fayette under the administration of principal Rose D. Hammett. He was crowned Mr. Jefferson County Elementary School 2012-2013, Sept. 24, 2012. He was a Superintendent Scholar student and a member of the Science Club.

Prince Zackia was active in the community and committed to the work of a number of organizations. He was a member of the Jefferson County Recreational Basketball Team, Natchez Recreation and Cammie’s Red Sox Baseball Team.

Prince Zackia was preceded in death by his maternal great-grandparents, Joseph and Bessie Sago; maternal great-grandfather, Samuel McKnight; two maternal great-aunts, Deloise McKnight Roussell and Patricia JoAnn Sago; one paternal brother, James Willie Walton; one paternal cousin, Princess Ty’Liyah Cameron; and two paternal uncles, Willard and Craig Lee.

Survivors include his mother and her husband, Lee Andrew January; his father and his wife, Tiffany Walton; two brothers, Za’Kobi and Za’Kyri January, all of Fayette; two sisters, Chaikerra Guice of Alexandria, La., and Isley Walton of Fayette; grandparents, Larry and Flora Sago McKnight of Cannonsburg and Willie and Carolyn Walton of Fayette; great-grandmother, Earnestine McKnight; great-great-grandmother, Ella Russell, both of Cannonsburg; six aunts, Lynsheika Rowan and husband, Kendrizle, of Natchez, Ka’Tiffany Cameron and husband, Troy, of Fayette, Ka’Shiris Perryman and husband, Vorice, of Fort Worth, Texas, godparents, Kenneth and Linda Birdsong; one godbrother and godsister, Kenneth and Kendrice Birdsong, all of Natchez; special aunt, Patricia Squire of Fayette; five great-aunts, Mary Scott and husband, Herman of Natchez, Mary Baker and husband, Edward, Elosie Chambers and husband, Julius, Mamie Moore and husband, Charles, all of Cannonsburg, and Margaret Harvard and husband, Les, of Fayette; 11 great-uncles, Joseph Conrad and wife, Geraldine, Monroe Sago and wife, Betty, John Sago and wife, Rena, the Rev. Walter Sago and wife, Janice, Paul Morgan and wife, Catherine, James Morgan and wife, Mary, Leon Dorsey and wife, Jessie, Robert McKnight and wife, Tiffany, all of Natchez, Alan McKnight and wife, Cynthia, of Woodville, Johnny Sago and wife, Janice, and Willie White and wife, Gwendolyn, all of Baton Rouge; and a number of cousins, other relatives and friends. He truly valued the friendship of Ashley Coleman, Triniti Ware, Del’Brico Colenburg and Jaden Stampley along with the entire fourth grade class and student body of Jefferson County Elementary School.