Constance Edith Rudd

Constance Edith Rudd, 83, of Kingston, NY, passed away on July 2, 2026. She was born on September 26, 1942 in Arlington, MA and was the only child of the late Mervyn and Virginia Rudd.

Prior to marrying Douglas Koop on September 30, 1995 at the Saugerties, NY Lighthouse, she resided in her lovely Cape Cod home in Tivoli, NY and her fourth-floor walk-up apartment near Central Park West in New York City.

She was Salutatorian of the Arlington High School Class of 1960. She attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts and graduated with a BS in Jewelry Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology, followed by her MA in Fine Arts from Ohio State University. She became fluent in Danish at folk high schools in Denmark and French as an au-pair in Paris.

Her career included several years as an Elderhostel Group Leader throughout Europe; high school art teacher and drama director in Alexandria Bay, NY and Westchester County, NY; curatorial staff of New York’s Museum of Natural History; and a freelance court stenographer in Manhattan.

Overriding every other aspect of her life was her love of animals, beginning with her adoption of three stray dogs from the streets of Manhattan. Many other rescue adoptions of dogs, cats and birds followed throughout her life.

She enjoyed singing choral music with the Bard College Community Chorus, the SUNY New Paltz Community Chorus and the New York Choral Society. With her guitar, she frequently sang folk music solos at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills.

A political activist, for many years she demonstrated for peace and justice with Women in Black at the Kingston Post Office. She was certified as a Master Gardener by the University of Kentucky.

She is survived by her husband Douglas Koop, her adoring stepchildren Christopher, Andrea, Evonne (David) Hundrieser and Jonathan (Susan); step grandchildren Jackson, Thomas, William and Zachary; long-term friend and Ohio State University colleague Mary Erickson of Tempe, AZ; mixed breed rescue dog Pickles; and umbrella cockatoo Luciano.

The family expresses its thanks and appreciation to Hudson Valley Hospice.

Arrangements entrusted to Keyser Funeral & Cremation Service, 326 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401. A celebration of life is forthcoming.