John was born in Bar Mills, ME on March 22, 1930 to Howard Buck Greene and Ethel Ernestine Chessman Greene. There, as a teenager, he and his brother would travel to the coast to be spotters for enemy warplanes during WWII.
In 1946, he moved to Middleboro, MA, where he met the love of his life, Ruth Elaines Harris. They married on October 8, 1949 and had four children.
John joined the US Navy on August 8, 1948, where he learned to be an Aviation Electrician. He was stationed at Patuxent River, MD and then at Quonset Pointe, RI. Once done with his schooling, John was stationed at Cecil Field, FL and then at the NAS Jax, FL where he worked on the F8U Crusader, the Navy’s first supersonic jet fighter.
During his time in FL, he was part of a few 9-month Mediterranean cruises on board the USS Saratoga and USS Forestall. He loved the Mediterranean and hoped to transfer his family there, but the Navy needed him at the NAS Oceania in Virginia Beach. There he was able to work on the F4 Phantoms and volunteer for the Boy Scouts as the Scout Master for Troop 414.
John retired from the Navy on August 8, 1968, after 20 years, with the rank of E7. He then moved his family back to Middleboro, MA.
As adventurous as he was, John chose his family’s next destination with a map, a blindfold, and a straight pin. With a spin of the map, the pin landed in Goffstown, NH. He rented a room there from a couple on Mountain Rd while he looked for employment. He applied for a job at Hitchiner in Milford, but the Personnel Director suggested that, with his wealth of knowledge, he become a teacher. So in 1968, he purchased the home from the couple and became the Electronics, Metal Shop, and Power Mechanics teacher at Goffstown High School.
As a teacher, John was well known for his wild ties. So much so that the kids in school would hang the ugliest ties they could find on his classroom door hoping he would wear them. He always did. He had a shirt, matching socks, and an ugly tie for every day of the school year and never wore the same outfit twice.
After his retirement at the end of the school year in 1992 he and Elaine joined the Allemande Eights, a square-dance club. They bought a Motorhome and traveled to dance clubs in a cross country extravaganza that saw them to 49 States, Canada, Nova Scotia, and a walk across into Mexico.
After selling the home on Mountain Rd in Goffstown, John renovated a barn to turn into a house of his own. The family then moved to Deering, NH, where he built another home by himself. They lived there until they moved to Pensacola, FL.
John leaves behind his wife of 72 years, Elaine Greene of Pensacola, FL, his daughter Diane F. Greene of Pensacola, FL (GHS Class of 1969), his son John C. Greene of Pensacola, FL (GHS Class of 1969), his son David M. Greene of Goffstown, NH (GHS Class of 1971), his son Stephen P. Greene of Monroe, NC (GHS Class of 1974), 16 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren.
Services will be in Pensacola, FL. His interment at the Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH will be at a later date.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.EasternGateMemorial.com for the GREENE family.
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