Doug Knoop

Dr. John Douglas (Doug) Knoop, 80, passed from this life on May 16, 2025, at his home in Raleigh, NC. Son of the late William Clemons John Knoop and Agnes Elizabeth Mobley Knoop, he was born on December 2, 1944, in Louisville, KY.

Dr. Knoop received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology from the University of Louisville, and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Kentucky. He completed his internship in surgery and his residency in Otolaryngology / Head & Neck surgery at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Otolaryngology, as well as a member of the American Society for Head and Neck Surgery, the American Association for Physician Leadership, and Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

After practicing clinical medicine in Lexington, KY for more than 17 years, Doug’s focus shifted to patient outcomes. After earning his MHA degree in 1994, he was awarded the David A. Winston Postgraduate Fellowship in Health Policy. This enabled him to spend a year in Washington, DC studying the political landscape around U.S. Health Policy.

Doug’s next endeavor was health insurance. He took what he had learned and became a Senior Medical Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC until retirement in 2006. Retirement was short-lived. In 2008, he joined Healthstat, a nationwide provider of onsite employee clinics, as their Executive Medical Director until 2019, when he gave retirement a final chance.

Even though Doug eventually made Raleigh his home, he was proud of his Kentucky roots. A smooth bourbon, Derby Day, and University of Louisville sports were high on his list of favorite things. He also loved fishing, photography, and was a student of history. He would spend hours working on one of many World War II model aircrafts in his collection. And if there was a battleship or an air show within a day’s drive, he was sure to be there.

He was predeceased by his parents, William and Agnes, and his three siblings and their spouses, Elizabeth Dalton (Ray), Jean Eaton (Grant), and William Knoop, Jr. (Bea). He held his relationships with his many nieces and nephews close to his heart. The calls, texts, and visits always brightened his day, and their support during his illness meant the world to him. Doug is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Carolyn Cruthers Knoop, their daughter Ashley Knoop Ennis (Jordan), and his special loves, his granddaughters Maxine and Louisa Ennis. And certainly not least, his basset hound Betsy.

If you were a friend to Doug, it was a lifelong friendship. His closest friendships with Skip, Gray, and Rick brought much happiness and laughter into his life. Whether discussing sports, politics, fishing, or nothing at all, these bonds will not be broken.

Our hope is that he is sitting on the beach with his friends that have gone before him, Kent, Keith, and Mark, with his rod in the surf, and his Jack Russells, Cricket and Mugsy, frolicking in the sand beside him. Until we meet again.

Please join family and friends as we gather on Sunday, June 1st at North Ridge Country Club, 6612 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC, 27615, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM, to remember and celebrate the life of a man that will be missed by so many.

Mitchell Funeral Home at 7209 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, 27612, will be handling arrangements and expressions of sympathy.

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