BRUNSWICK – Charles E. Greif Sr., 95, joined his beloved wife, Alice, Feb. 19, 2011. He was born Nov. 2, 1915, in Englewood, N.J., the only son of Sylvia Sullinger, of Scotch-Irish descent, and Charles Greif, a first generation German-American.
He was raised in Englewood, N.J., and then Mountain Lakes, N.J., and graduated from Morristown High School in 1933. Through a combination of loans, small scholarships, work as a waiter, and FERA work assistance he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University in 1937 during the Great Depression. He was a four-year member of Cornell’s ROTC program and was commissioned as a reserve officer upon his graduation. He was the first in his family to earn a baccalaureate degree. He met the love of his life, Alice Peavey, on a blind date when she had traveled east on a college field trip.
They were married in her hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho, Dec. 25, 1939, and returned to New Jersey to begin a family that grew to six children. Charles’ four-year employment with Bakelite Corp., later acquired by Union Carbide, was interrupted when the U.S. Army ordered him to active duty in February 1941, 10 months before Pearl Harbor. He reported to the 58th Ordnance Company and became its commander in early 1942. In the summer of 1942, his company sailed to England, where it prepared for Operation Torch, the liberation of occupied French North Africa. He worked to earn the friendship of the citizens of every country where he served. In Oran he donned the garb of a friendly Arab qaid in the photo shown above. In June 1943 he participated in the liberation of Tunisia and then provided support for Gen. Patton’s Seventh Army for the liberation of Sicily. On Jan. 22, 1944, he led his company in the landing at Anzio behind German lines. For the next five months his company had to operate an ammunition supply point under constant enemy fire, as German gunners in the hills surrounding Anzio targeted the stacked ammunition in hopes of creating an inferno. This was the 58th Ordnance Company’s finest hour as it earned the Fifth Army Plaque for its outstanding performance. Gen. Mark Clark awarded Capt. Greif a citation for his skill and bravery in personally extinguishing multiple ammunition fires and protecting the supplies so essential to the Fifth Army’s ability to take the fight to the Germans and ultimately liberate Rome. After 39 months with the 58th Ordnance Company, Capt. Greif was transferred to the 87th Ordnance Battalion and became a major. After victory in Italy, Maj. Greif commanded the 87th Ordnance Battalion through his return to the USA in July 1945. He was preparing for Pacific Theater operations when Japan surrendered. After the war he and Alice settled in Boonton Township, N.J., on four acres of land, which they improved, with their children’s assistance, with vegetable and flower gardens, grape vines, high bush blueberries, a toboggan path and a small skating pond. He always made it a point to both work and play with his children. Charles returned to Union Carbide, where he remained until his retirement in 1974. He worked out of the New York City office and traveled yearly to Europe or Latin America, helping local manufacturers choose the right resins and technologies for their plastics businesses.
When one of his children visited a former customer in Chile, 14 years after Charles’ retirement, Charles was described as “the man with the big smile” and Charles’ words of humor could still be recalled. In summer 1961 Charles and his family came home to a place they had never been before – Wayne. They became summer residents two years later and Charles cherished his time with his family on Androscoggin Lake, whether fishing, playing cards, improving the land or learning how to water ski in his late 40s. In 1991 he and Alice became year-round residents of Maine when they moved to Brunswick.
Charles lost Alice Dec. 7, 1993. He is survived by all of his children, Peggy Arden and her husband, Bruce, of Ann Arbor, Mich., Mary Livingston and her husband, Rudy, of Chesapeake, Va., Jane Brothers and her husband, Rick, of Sedona, Ariz., Charles E. Greif Jr. and his wife, Betsey, of Orlando, Fla., Lynn Roush and her husband, Paul, of Gillette, Wyo., and Arthur “A.J.” Greif and his wife, Donna Karlson, of Bar Harbor. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren; and his special Scottish terrier, Patti.
A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal St., Brunswick. Charles was a member of Wayne Community Church and will be buried at Maine Veterans Cemetery, Augusta, alongside Alice. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Wayne Community Church, Wayne, ME 04284. Condolences may be expressed at
www.brackettfuneralhome.com.