Edwin Everett Green

Edwin Everett Green passed away peacefully at his Oaknoll home in Iowa City on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012. He was born March 18, 1920, near Highland Center in Keokuk County, the second son of Ernest L. and Elva Beall Green.

In his youth Ed attended and later taught in three rural schools in Keokuk County. He graduated from Sigourney High School in 1938. In the early 1940s Ed served in the Army Air Corp. On Sept. 4, 1946, he and Katharine Ford were married in Barhydt Chapel at Parsons College. Ed graduated from Parsons College in 1949. He later earned a master’s degree in education from Drake University and completed further graduate work at the University of Iowa.

Ed enjoyed a long career in education, which he began as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. He served as a school administrator and educator in many Iowa communities, including Packwood, Frederika, Owasa, Fairfield, Mount Pleasant, Ottumwa, and Sigourney. Ed was instrumental in introducing the idea for community colleges in Iowa in the 1960s. He worked at Indian Hills Community College, following his tenure as a superintendent, until 1982.

Ed was always a farmer, even when he had a full-time job. He and his wife lived for 23 years on a farm near Hedrick, where they raised cattle, enjoyed nature, and hunted. Ed and Kay moved to Sigourney in 1996 near a family farm where he eventually planted more than 4,000 trees, mainly red oak and walnut.

Edwin was preceded in death by his parents; and older brother, Cecil Green. He is survived by his wife, Katharine; a brother, Earnest Green Jr. of Sigourney; daughter, Jo Ellen Green (Gail) Crowe of Iowa City; son, Eric (Hyon) Green of Loxahatchee, Fla.; five grandchildren, David (Andrea) Crowe, Amy Crowe (Jared) Trullinger, Katy Green (Keith) Lockhart, Inee Green, and Ethan Green; five great-granddaughters, Nora and Kiera Crowe, Stella and Hannah Trullinger, and Avary Lockhart; and many beloved family members, friends, and fellow card players.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, at the First Christian Church in Coralville. Following a reception at the church, burial will take place at Zion Cemetery near Hedrick. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Memorials have been established for the First Christian Church (DoC) in Coralville, Oaknoll Foundation, and Iowa City Hospice. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the Web at www.gayandciha.com.

Special thanks to Oaknoll and Iowa City Hospice.

Published Dec. 16, 2012 in The Gazette