City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Gerald 'Jerry' Knott
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 85.
Died 05/06/2026.
Jerry, as he was known to friends and family, was born on March 19, 1941, at Mary Elizabeth Hospital, on the corner of Wake Forest Road and Glasscock Street, to Virginia Upchurch Knott and Sidney Knott Jr.
He attended Underwood Elementary School, Josephus Daniels Junior High School, and Needham B. Broughton High School. After graduating from the North Carolina State University College of Design with a degree in architecture in 1964, he briefly entered private practice before joining the U.S. Navy in 1965. Following graduation from Officer Candidate School, he received his first posting at the naval base in Key West before serving in Da Nang as a civil engineer during the Vietnam War.
Returning to civilian life in 1968, Jerry bought a home in Raleigh (the choice at the time was between buying a house or a Porsche 911). He eventually joined the North Carolina Department of School Planning, where he worked to help ensure the safety of school facilities throughout North Carolina and worked his way up to Section Chief.
Jerry was an Eagle Scout, a member of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, a retired Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, a recipient of the 2013 Frank B. Turner Award, and a sixth-generation resident of Raleigh.
He was especially well known for his lifelong love of toy trains, having received his first train set at four years old and never losing his enthusiasm for the hobby. He regularly attended train shows throughout the East Coast and celebrated his 50-year membership in the Train Collectors Association in 2023.
His love of trains led to many strong and lasting friendships, including with Wayne Todd of Wendell (1942–1995), founder of Todd's Train Depot, where Jerry worked part-time as a repairman, unofficial advisor, and fountain of knowledge for anyone seeking information or guidance about toy trains. After the closing of the shop Jerry remained an active collector and followed the toy train industry for the rest of his life.
Jerry’s other passions included classical music, painting, and modern furniture, but nothing brought him greater joy than encouraging his children to discover and pursue their own passions.
In addition to his parents, Jerry was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Robanna Sumrell Knott. He is survived his sons, George Knott of Raleigh and Traner Knott of Minneapolis; and his grandchildren, James and Miles and his dear neighbor Carol Wood.
No services are scheduled at this time.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to WCPE.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.