John Robert Green

Through a long life that included too much loss, John Green found a way to express what was in his heart. It was not with exultation for his successes or tears for the tragedies. Rather, this stoic man took meaning, and comfort, from building beautiful things - reproductions of antique furniture, a barn for his daughter's horses, a bench for his church. John Robert Green passed away February 8, 2021 after a period of declining health. His legacy is there for us to see in his meticulous handiwork, and in the lesson he leaves us about the sacred nature of doing a job well. He was 94. John was born on Nov. 15, 1926, in Howell, ARK, son of Robert and Emelyn Green. The family moved to Cary, MS., when he was two. That's where he grew up learning what it means to be industrious from a father who worked in the lumber business and a mother in the school cafeteria. Raised during the Great Depression, John was up at 5 a.m., employed at various times in a butcher shop, on a farm killing and cleaning chickens, and delivering newspapers. John was seven when his father died from an inflamed appendix. It wouldn't be John's last difficult loss. At age 18, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving two years as an electrician's mate. After his discharge in 1946, he earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, then went to work as an engineer for Honeywell. His career - and life - began to blossom in Durant, MS. That's where he met Mary Brown Wilburn, a vivacious hometown girl who was teaching high school history. Married on June 15, 1950, the Greens and their two children made their home in several states thanks to John's career with Honeywell. Mary, the more outgoing one, ran the household. John took seriously his responsibility as the breadwinner while always making time for his family. Their oldest child, Meredith, was 10 when John built a barn for the horses she loved to ride. Their youngest, Robert, spent a lot of time outdoors with his dad. John, the youngest Eagle Scout ever in Mississippi, loved being a Boy Scout leader in his son's troop. John had a positive outlook. But he kept his feelings largely to himself. That might have been how he endured all the heartbreak. In 1986, his son, Robert, committed suicide at age 30. John missed Robert dearly. But he rarely spoke about the tragedy. In 1981, John and Mary retired to Atlanta, looking forward to many happy years together. Fifteen years later, Mary passed away after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis. John was her caregiver. She was 78. They were married 46 years, not nearly long enough. John eventually came to Charlotte, NC, in 2018 to be closer to his daughter. John is survived by his daughter, Meredith Green, of Charlotte, an artist and retired art teacher at Charlotte Country Day School; son-in-law Panayiotis Koukopoulos of Athens, Greece; three grandchildren - Kostas Koukopoulos and partner Anthi Papageorgiou of Athens and Bryce Koukopoulos and her husband, Gabriel Rogers, of Athens, and Morgan Koukopoulos and his wife, Cristina Wilson, of Charlotte; step-granddaughter Maria Tardieux and her husband, Jean Louis Tardieux, of San Diego, CA.; and great-granddaughter Lucy Koukopoulos of Charlotte. He is also survived by five nieces - Carey Hamilton of Everett, WA., Chere Peel, MD, and her husband, the Rev. Richard Robbins, of Madison, MS., Michelle Peel and her husband, Chris Turnbow, of Olive Branch, MS., Bryce Moore Smith of Memphis, TN., and Ellen Washbourne Toth and her husband, Don, of Jane Lew, WV; four nephews - Thomas Benjamin Moore, MD, and his wife, Becky, of Joplin, MO., James Washbourne and his wife, Cindy, of Alpharetta, GA., Terrell Washbourne of Jane Lew, WV., and Richard Washbourne of Jane Lew, WV; and several great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Green; son, John Robert Green Jr., DDS; and older sister, Marion Peel, MD. A celebration of John's life will be held at a date to be determined in the summer of 2021 at Parkway Hills United Methodist Church, 1468 Highland Colony Parkway in Madison, MS. A private graveside service will follow. The date will be announced on Parkway Hills' website and in the Clarion Ledger, the Jackson newspaper. Forever organized, John kept a list of people to call to tell them of his death. A gift in John's memory can be made to Parkway Hills United Methodist, 1468 Highland Colony Parkway, Madison, MS. 39110 or to your favorite charity. The church meant a lot to John. He showed his gratitude, and served God, by making furniture for the church and doing handyman's work around the campus of Parkway Hills as well as for his previous church in Atlanta, GA, Mount Vernon Presbyterian. The family is deeply grateful for the love and care shown by Sharlene Green who helped with his care and made the last chapter of his life more comfortable and joyful. John Green lives on in the work he performed with his hands and heart. He built the brick patio and his first woodworking shop at the family's home in Atlanta. When he visited Meredith at her home in Greece, he did the wiring for her ceramic studios and reupholstered their sofa. He even made his wife a dress. Perhaps when he was hard at it, keeping to the highest standards, a memory of his father, son or wife would come to mind. But still he would ply his craft, quietly determined to make something good, something that would outlive him. A legacy indeed. Memorial Monday, March 8, 2021 11:00 AM Tribute & Tallent Funerals & Cremations 1937 N. Sharon Amity Road Charlotte NC 28205 United States 7045671500