Rudolph Wurlitzer Knoop

Rudolph Henry Wurlitzer Knoop, 77, of Summertown, TN, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 13, 2026, in Columbia, TN, succumbing to mounting complications from his struggle with cancer.

He is survived by his brothers Christopher and Anthony and predeceased by his sister Janet and brothers John and Richard. He is also survived by his children Luther, George, Carlos, and Ethan, grandchildren Isaiah and Jeremiah, and a collection of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and more that meant the world to him but are far too numerous to list.

Born in Cincinnati, OH on July 20, 1948, to Frederic and Annette Wurlitzer Knoop, Rudy developed his lifelong love of nature, storytelling, and activism growing up on the family's goat farm as the second youngest son in a burgeoning collection of artists and deep thinkers. This unique upbringing instilled in him both the value of hard, honest work and the beauty of always being open and learning in every way possible.

From these beginnings, he became a man of passionate conscience and kindhearted consideration in everything he did in the world. He attended Harvard University but left to pursue the calling of his heart toward anti-war and civil rights activism, and building alternative communities focused on cooperative living. This led him to become a founding member of the historic and influential intentional community known as The Farm, where he played important parts in developing sustainable farming methods and in outreach to the surrounding communities in Summertown, TN and beyond, aided by his remarkable gift at building friendship and connection across cultural divides.

Over more than a decade of life on The Farm, Rudy also began his family in partnership with Marilyn Read of San Francisco, CA, with all four of their children being born as part of the community’s groundbreaking midwifery program. After leaving The Farm the family eventually resettled in Northern California, where Rudy began a career installing, sanding, and finishing hardwood flooring, a trade which he excelled at and that supported him much of his life. He became a master craftsman, owning and operating a successful business as an independent contractor, and taking great pride in marrying exceptional artistry with conscientious workmanship.

However, despite his dedication and care for his vocation (frequently recounting that he had laid more than ten acres of flooring in his life) his true calling always remained advocating for a better world. He endeavored to do this explicitly through well-chosen action, and implicitly by living a life that defiantly declared that kindness, compassion, and understanding are the greatest virtues one can aspire to. Later in life he was able to put this drive into practice working as a journalist at several local newspapers around Mendocino County, CA, but everywhere he lived, Rudy found friends with the same passion, collecting and sharing their stories with anyone who might listen.

Whether being a charming gadfly at Country Day School in Cincinnati, OH as a teenager in the 1960s, building rapport with the neighbors of The Farm in the 1970s, creating a home for his children in Cloverdale, CA in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a local fixture and renowned cowboy poet in the twin communities of Round Valley in Covelo, CA in the 2000s and 2010s, or returning to live near his grandchildren and connect with friends old and new in Summertown, TN for the final years of his life, Rudy lived a life of admirable principle intent on bringing people together and inspiring them by example to be their best selves.

His children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and extended community of family and friends will carry his example forward into the world, and welcome donations made in his name to organizations that seek to bring tolerance, justice, and peaceful coexistence to the world, such as Plenty, Al Otro Lado, The King Center, The Hind Rajab Foundation, and Veterans for Peace.