On January 9, 2021 John Arthur Knouse passed away at the age of 67 after a long battle with congestive heart failure.

John was born June 22, 1953 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up traveling the country but always considered Kansas City, Missouri to be his hometown. He studied at Juniata College (PA) and received his BS from University of Louisville (KY). John lived in Louisville, KY for 20 years where he (among other endeavors) worked at Metro Parks, Jefferson County Memorial Forest, and was a member of both the Paddlewheel Alliance and Good Neighbor Food Co-op. John spent the last 24 years of his life in Athens, Ohio, where he continued to dedicate himself to sustainability and community engagement and ran several entrepreneurial ventures including Earthrise Ovens. A few more of his pursuits in Athens included working for Athens Parks and Recreation, leading numerous volunteer efforts to combat invasive species, and doing everything he could to encourage people to vote including working the polls every year.

John shared his love of nature with anyone who would listen and devoted his life to building trails, studying ferns, and enhancing the preservation and appreciation of green spaces wherever he could. As a child, he baked his own whole wheat bread when it wouldn't have otherwise been available and as a young man sewed his own reusable grocery bags before it had occurred to most of the world to avoid using plastic. He taught his daughters that "every dollar you spend is a vote towards the kind of world that you want to live in," and loved taking people hiking and introducing them to every plant along the trail as if he were introducing old friends.

John wrote science fiction stories, composed music, and moonlighted as a political cartoonist. He was a renaissance man who studied biology, genealogy, cartography, and geology.  John was passionate and uncompromising until his final days.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Iris Knouse and Dr. Charles Knouse Sr., and by his older brother, Dr. Charles Knouse Jr. He is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth "Libby" (Peter) Ferland, Rachel Vivian Knouse (David) Reed, two granddaughters Mary "Mio" and Elizabeth "Liza", older sisters Thea Price and Dr. Karen (Larry) Brungardt, many nieces and nephews, closest friends Ken and Elizabeth Cooke and his former spouse (m. 1985) Elizabeth "Beth" Frey.

Per John's wishes there will not be a funeral service at this time due to the pandemic. His family intends to host a celebration of life in Athens, OH this Summer if it is possible to do so safely. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in John's name to the two organizations to which he dedicated his later life: Athens Conservancy https://www.athensconservancy.org/ PO Box 2281 Athens, OH 45701 or Friends of Strouds Run State Park https://www.friendsofstroudsrun.org/ PO Box 514 Athens, OH 45701. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.