Debbie Knott loves living and working in Italy. She has lived here for about thirty years and wouldn’t live anywhere else. So it just makes sense that she would be the Citizen of the Month.

Debbie works at Trinity Mission and started out twenty years ago as a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) She went back to school to become the Activities Director and now works as the Human Resources Director and also does the payroll. This is a job Debbie just loves, “I just love working at Trinity Mission. I think it is an honor to take care of the people that you grew up with. Working in Human Resources gives me the chance to work with both the employees and the residents and I just love it. I will probably be doing this until I retire.”

When asked what she thought about living in Italy, Debbie replied, "Italy is just a good place to live and I am glad I live here. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I feel safe here. Everyone takes care of one another. I just think it is wonderful living in a small town. You don’t have to worry about your grandkids. When someone passes away, everyone brings food, everyone helps.If someone needs help everyone chips in. We have done this in our town forever. "

“Joe Knott, my father, graduated from Italy High School. He played football, baseball and basketball. He was in the service when he married my mother, Peggy, and soon after was sent to Korea. Daddy was still in the service when I was born and I guess I was about two or three when he got out. Then once he got out and moved us to Dallas we would come down to Italy to visit our grandparents every holiday and stay all summer, every summer.” Debbie went on to say, “I remember when I was a little girl there were three grocery stores, two laundry mats, a variety store, two dry good stores and a hamburger place called Bill Rowin’s Hamburgers. They were really good burgers.”

Debbie smilingly said, “Everyone should be lucky enough to live in Italy.”

Congratulations Debbie Knott – Citizen of the Month!