FRANKLIN – James Spencer Greene, 73, died at home April 28, 2005. He was born Aug. 27, 1931 in Passaic, N.J., the son of Kenneth E. Greene and Katherine Mott Greene. Jim grew up in Guilford, Conn. He studied art and industrial design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1955, after learning Chinese-Mandarin at the Army Language School at Monterey, Calif. After his tour of duty, he studied French language and literature at the Sorbonne in Paris, France; and also traveled and painted in Norway and Italy. Returning from Europe, Jim studied painting and fine art at the Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture in New York. He made architectural models for I.M. Pei, and worked as a cabinetmaker and carpenter. He taught drawing and design at Cooper Union, and drawing and painting at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, Conn. Jim’s father, an artist who hand-painted movie billboards during the Depression years, passed on his love of drawing and painting to his son. Jim painted in an abstract, calligraphic style. Art was his means of self-realization and his joy. He showed his work at numerous exhibitions in Europe and the U.S. Jim met his wife Mary at Cooper Union. They married in 1968 and lived briefly in Guilford, Conn., before moving to Maine in 1973. He was an avid organic gardener, and loved the Maine coast. He had a lifelong interest in Buddhism and Eastern religions, and alternative medicine. He taught T’ai Chi classes for many years in Ellsworth, Machias and Blue Hill. He loved good Chinese food, and played a wicked hand at the Mah Jong table. He was a wonderful and loving father and husband, and a gentle and funny man. He is survived by his wife Mary; a daughter, Jennifer Greene of Oakland, Calif.; a son, Christopher Greene of Conifer, Colo.; a special “daughter”, Seraphina Erhart of Portland; three brothers, Richard B. Greene and his wife, Kathryn, of Guilford, Conn., John R. Greene and his wife, Marianne, of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Thomas W. Greene and his wife, Beverly, of Connecticut; a step-brother, Martin Washburn of New York City; nephews, Philip Greene of Guilford, Conn., and Sean Greene of Massachusetts; nieces, Katherine Greene of Guilford, Conn.; Valerie and Stephanie Greene of France; a great-niece, Madeline Greene of Guilford, Conn. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Kenneth “Ted” Greene of California. He leaves many sisters-in-law, Kathy Gavey and her husband, Greg of New York, Shirley Wong and her husband, Peter of Kentucky, their children Stephen and Sarah; June Lu of Ohio, Susan Broussard and her husband, Ralph of Texas; a brother-in-law, Vincent Lu and his wife Beverly of New York, and their children, Karen, David and Robbie. He will be missed by many friends. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations may be made in his memory to Hancock County Home Care, P.O. Box 156, Blue Hill, ME 04614 or Hospice of Hancock County, 14 McKenzie Avenue, Ellsworth, ME 04605. Cremation arrangements handled by the family and Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor.
JAMES S. GREENE
