LCDR Carl DeForest Greene, USN (Ret)

It is with great sadness that Carl’s family announces his passing on May 29th, 2020 at the age of 82. Carl will be lovingly remembered by his beloved wife of 49 years, Elizabeth; his son David (Maria); his grandchildren Leila, Diego and Lucia; his sisters Marge Gee, Josie Russell and Amy Ellsworth (Deane); and many nephews, nieces, and cousins. Carl was born and raised in the small town of Unadilla Forks, NY. He described his home growing up as loving with regular attendance to the local Seventh Day Baptist church – this nurtured a strong faith that would guide him for the remainder of his life. Carl loved music which inspired participation in the high school band as a trombone player; he also loved filling the house with his favorite classical and jazz tunes. Carl earned a 2-year degree from SUNY College of Technology at Alfred and later received his Bachelor’s degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1961 as an electrical engineer. His initial attempt to join the military was thwarted by an ingrown toenail of all things but never one to give up, Carl eventually in 1962 made it into the Naval OCS located in Newport, RI. As a commissioned officer at sea (USS Loweser and USS Courtney), he did not see his parents or his sisters as often as he would have liked but stayed focused on his training. After transitioning to the Seabees (USN Construction Battalion), Carl completed first tour in Vietnam in 1968 (Danang) and second tour in 1969 (Dong Ha) where he earned numerous honors including the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V”. Upon returning stateside, Carl continued his military career in the NY area, reconnected with family and found time to meet and marry Liz. Together, they hopped around the nation as Carl’s naval duties took them through Pensacola, Florida, Monterey, California, and eventually landed them in Virginia Beach, Virginia where they raised their son David. The family of three were together when Carl’s overseas assignment took them to Tehran, Iran in 1978 where after 2 years Carl just made it out of the country before the hostage crisis in late 1979. After 20 years of honorable service, Carl retired from the Navy in 1982 and continued his engineering and facilities management career for the next 20 years. Above all, Carl will be remembered for his incredibly kind heart, his warm smile and his infectious chuckle. Having known him for 20 minutes or 20 years made you feel like a better, more generous person. He showed eternal patience and grace especially in the challenging last few years of his life. He loved people almost as much as he loved dogs…in his golden years, Carl proved to be a championship dog walker to Hennessey, TJ and Harper. Carl also excelled at the post holiday dinner fully upright “nap” so many of his friends and family will fondly remember him in that pose. He and Liz also spent YEARS of their life on the sidelines of soccer fields first with their son David and later with Leila, Diego and Lucia – Carl loved every minute of it! Carl was extremely generous with his time and with his faith. God was his light and he is with Him now. Memorial services with military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.