Jessie Mae Greene

Jessie was born on July 6, 1936 in Weldon, North Carolina. The only child of Flora

Mae Williams, Jessie spent her early childhood on a farm in North Carolina with

her grandparents. As a teen, she moved to New York to be with her mother and

attended high school in Harlem. She was active in sports: volleyball and track but

her love was track. She was a sprinter with the PAL (Police Athletic League). They

travelled competing across the country but were always subject to the

segregation of the early 1950's. Staying at certain hotels drinking from the proper

water fountain were a part of their life. Despite this they competed, and if it had

not been for breaking her ankle, Jessie would have competed in the 1956

Olympics with Wilma Rudolph.

After high school Jessie worked for the New York Phone Company. She was still

living in Harlem when she met Paul Greene who was living in the same building

with his oldest brother. They were married on January 23,1960. She

affectionately called him “Green-boy” until he preceded her to glory in June of

2000. They moved to Queens where he worked as a letter carrier. She retired

from the phone company to raise their children. When daughters Karen and

Stacey were born, they moved from Queens to West Hempstead, New York. After

Paul retired from the postal service, they both worked as School Crossing Guards

in Rockville Center, New York. Jessie was always an advocate for her children in

the school system and in the community. She worked diligently for the PTA and

tirelessly wrote letters to have the public bus stop moved from in front of their

home in Rockville Center, so that her daughters would remain safe when walking

home.

While in Queens, Jessie was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church. She

continued to be active at Epiphany Lutheran Church when they moved to Long

Island. When both of their daughters moved to Georgia, Jessie and Paul moved to

Stone Mountain in 1998 to be closer to them. They joined Ousley United

Methodist church where Jessie was the church Secretary. Her main contribution

to the church was in the Care ministry. Her calling was to visit people whenever

they were having surgery or at home sick and shut in. She was never afraid to

drive 30 plus miles to arrive at the hospital with the minister at 5am to pray with

the family before their procedure. She continued driving like this until she was

unable to drive after surgery in 2014. However, she continued to call and check in

on the members as part of her ministry. In recognition of her 20 years of service

to the care ministry, Ousley renamed the Ministry the Jessie Greene Loving Care

Ministry on May 19, 2019.

Jessie is survived by her daughters Karen T. Greene, MD (Glenn Cassius Green Sr.)

and Stacey Laurel Greene Koehnke (George John Koehnke). She has four

grandchildren Glenn C. Green III, Paul James Green, Sinclair Lila Grace Koehnke

and Christian Hovhanes Koehnke. She leaves behind many other beloved family

members and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations be made to the American Kidney Fund (kidneyfund.org) in Jessie's honor.