Ian Green

Ian may have been a Chicagoan since 1981 who treasured his wife, family and friends "out here," but he was always a New Yorker at heart.

Ian was the last of three children born to George Alexander Green and Mary Margaret (Murphy) Green in Poughkeepsie, NY. He, his brother Donald and sister Nancy spent their school years at upstate New York prep schools, but nothing brought Ian more of a smile than reminiscing about his Hudson Valley upbringing.

He skated Poughkeepsie’s frozen ponds and prep-school hockey rinks as an accomplished hockey player.

The backwoods of Hudson Valley were where he and his brother cultivated their love of nature and area birds.

And to his dying day, Ian called his summers as a greenskeeper at the local golf course “the best job he ever had.” He learned to drive on the club’s tractor while some of the more seasoned maintenance crew taught him lessons he would carry long after his Poughkeepsie days.

In the early ‘60s, Ian graduated from Hobart College, and started his professional career in his hometown during the pioneering days of IBM. He was always thrilled to be on the cutting-edge of ‘60s computer technology.

Ian’s career took him to New York City where he was proud to have thrived in the gritty and tough times of ‘70s New York. He may have traveled 50 weeks-a-year at times, but he was doing it from the cultural capital of the world in a revolutionary industry that every company needed.

It was at Thomas Cook Travel that Ian met his future wife, Barbara (Mersch) Green. He quickly abandoned his cherished New York apartment at 72nd and Broadway and embraced the slower pace of West Rogers Park in Chicago.

Ian and Barbara married in 1982 and shared a loving partnership with their son, Todd Karner. They savored life to the fullest with cherished regular trips to Europe, Mexico and a mutual thirst for destinations rarely found in guidebooks.

In the ‘90s, Saugatuck, MI became an adopted second home. Ian relished a bit of a return to the “small town” life he knew growing up. For years, he was able work on his gardens, bask in the glow of picking seasonal fruits, discover local farms and enjoy late night walks on Saugatuck’s beaches.

Throughout his life, Ian was always grounded by his time with family and friends, whether it was his regular poker group, summer backyard barbecues with his granddaughters or the annual holiday party.

Ian is predeceased by his “special honey,” wife Barbara (Mersch) Green, as well as his siblings Nancy and Donald. He is survived by his son Todd Karner (Julie Babetch), two adored granddaughters, and daughter Kelley (Green) Skaarva.

A visitation for Ian will be held from 3-7 PM Monday, December 30 at Drake and Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave., Chicago. Prayers will be said at 5 PM. The burial will take place at noon on Tuesday, December 31 at St. Henry Catholic Cemetery, 1929 W. Devon Ave., Chicago.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Many Paws Global Rescue – manypawsglobalrescue.org.