Elwood Knight, 80, of Hendersonville, TN, passed away peacefully on February 4, 2026 at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
Elwood was born February 3, 1946, in Beechmont, KY to Jabby and Delia Knight. He was drafted into the military after graduating from Hughes Kirk High School and served as a Green Beret in Panama from 1964 to 1966, after which he returned to Beechmont where he worked as lineman for South Central Bell/Bell South/ AT&T for 33 years until his retirement. Elwood met his wife of more than 52 years, Janie, in late 1972; they married in June of 1973. Elwood and Janie moved to Hendersonville, TN in October of 2014 to be closer to their grandchildren.
Elwood’s passion was cars. He was well-known for “trading cars with every season” and was able to identify make, model, year, and details of the specs on any vehicle manufactured in the last 75 years. He also enjoyed watching his grandchildren’s sporting events and musical theater productions.
Elwood was known to have never met a stranger; any time he left the house he would meet several people he knew, took time to speak, and always had kind words to share with them.
Elwood was known for his friendly demeanor, even temper, and propensity for joking; he always made sure share the warning “don’t take no wooden nickels!” He had an infectious laugh and was quick to smile. Elwood was a devout Christian, a kind and gentle soul, and a man of unwavering integrity. His laughter and wit were a gift to everyone who had the honor of knowing him.
Elwood is survived by his wife, Janie (VanHooser) Knight; daughter Cammi (Knight) and Erik Blemker, son Chad and Brooke (Craig) Knight; and grandchildren Genevieve and Simon Blemker, and Max and Sam Knight.
A celebration of Elwood’s life will be held at Second Baptist Church in Greenville, Kentucky on Sunday, February 22 at 3:00pm. Visitation in Greenville from 1:00 until 3:00 prior to the celebration. An additional visitation will be held in Hendersonville, Tennessee at the First Baptist Church Chapel on Monday, February 23 from 4-6:00pm.
Please join us to celebrate the full and blessed life of Elwood Knight.
