William Clarence Green

William (Bill) Clarence Green of Decatur, Alabama passed away at his home on April 7th, 2024 at the age of 82. Born July 2nd, 1941 in Black River Falls, Wisconsin to Mary Genevieve (nee Quinlan) and Clarence Green, Bill grew up in New Richmond, Wisconsin along with his younger brother John, where he attended St. Mary School, graduating in 1959. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in 1963 with a triple major in History, English, and Accounting from The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Afterward, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, was almost immediately selected for Officer Candidate School, and upon graduating was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Some years later, now a dashing First Lieutenant stationed in Myrtle Beach, SC, he met Delores Anne Green, a lovely young widow with two little boys, Billy and Mike. They married on April 1st, 1967 in Myrtle Beach. They soon moved to Germany, where they adopted a baby boy, John, and Anne gave birth to another son, Patrick. Afterward, they traveled to Athens, Greece, where they welcomed their fifth child, David, in 1972. They then came back to the States and settled in San Antonio, TX, where Bill was stationed at Randolph Air Force Base and Anne worked as a registered nurse. After leaving the Air Force as a Captain in 1977, the family moved to LaPlace, LA in 1980, then Houston, TX; Gretna and Harvey, LA; Decatur, AL; Oak Ridge, TN. Over those years, he worked as a management consultant, then as a procurement and contracting officer and manager on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and then the International Space Station. In 2000, he and Anne retired and returned to what had been their home in Decatur. Anne sadly passed away in 2019 after a long illness. He never shied away from hard work. First employed at age 14 as a custodian at his high school, he worked his way through college and even continued to substitute teach at St. Ann’s School in Decatur for years after his retirement. Bill was, first and foremost, a friend. He didn’t define himself by his job, but by the connections and relationships he cultivated over his life. He was a storyteller with an encyclopedic knowledge of all those who had the privilege of knowing him: friends old and new, classmates, co-workers, and, most importantly, his family. If you needed an update about anyone in his orbit, he was ready, and more than willing, to elaborate. He was intensely curious about everyone he met. But he was no gossip: He was a chronicler and appreciator of human beings and their lives. Their stories became his stories, and his story became theirs. He cared deeply and selflessly for those in his family. He took care of both his parents at the ends of their lives, he nursed his beloved wife for years before her death, and he humbly and graciously looked after his baby brother John, who had Down’s Syndrome, until his recent passing. His distinctive “midwesternisms” also never failed to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. Many in his family take great joy in being able to imitate his accent and sayings, passing along his unique personality and the joyous impact he had on all of them. Even when scolding his children growing up, they still giggle to this day in remembrance of his attempts to admonish them with a sincere, but ultimately ineffective, “Shame on you!” His voice will certainly never be forgotten. His love for his five boys, though, was abundantly clear in his sound advice, the way he supported and touted their accomplishments and those of their children and grandchildren, and in his humble generosity in their times of need. He was a man who lived out and passed on to his children the values of his midwestern upbringing: staunch in times of difficulty, modest about his accomplishments, and unwavering in his unconditional love. Bill was preceded in death by his wife Delores Anne Green, brother John Richard Green, and parents Mary Genevieve and Clarence Green. He is survived by son William Ernest and daughter-in-law Abbie Green of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas; son Michael Lee and daughter-in-law Claudia Green of Madison, Alabama; son John Richard and daughter-in-law Julie Green of Decatur, Alabama; son Patrick Shawn and daughter-in-law Angela Green of Huntsville, Alabama; son James David and daughter-in-law Findley Green of Birmingham, Alabama; grandchildren William Green and wife Sarah, Harrison Green and wife Rose, Caroline Green, Charlotte Green, Cassandra Hicks and husband Denzel, McKenna Green, Jacob Green, Anthony Green, Heather Green, Brittany Matmanivong and husband San, Nyah Lang, Daisy Green, Vivian Green, Tommy Townsend, and John Townsend; great-granddaughters Emaline Green, Tabitha Green, Mary Green, Ashton Green, Kherrington Green, Summer Rose Green, Genesis Green, and Emerie Matmanivong; and great-grandsons Damien Matmanivong, Rainen Matmanivong, William Green, Henry Green, and Jack Green. Visitation will be on Friday, April 19th from 1:30-2:30 pm, with memorial services following at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church in Decatur, AL.

William Clarence Green

July 21, 1941 - April 7, 2024