Curtis Lee Greer, 90, a veteran and career serviceman, of Elizabethtown, passed away Friday, May 13, 2016, of complications of pneumonia at Helmwood Healthcare in Elizabethtown.
Prior to his death, Curtis celebrated his 90th birthday with a barbecue luncheon at Helmwood, opening numerous cards from family, friends and cherished neighbors on Dogwood Drive and Tricia Lane. In fact, when he recently sold his house on Dogwood, he told the buyer, "You got a bargain because the neighbors alone are worth a million dollars."
Curtis was born March 9, 1926, to Bessie and Milton Greer, on the family farm in Woodlawn. A descendent of Samuel Greer, a Revolutionary War veteran, Curtis was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife of 37 years, Ruby J. Stivers Greer; and three brothers, William Milton "Jack" (Mary Lee) Greer of Lexington, Raymond Milton "R.M." (Kathryn) Greer of Bardstown and Ray Lindsey (Mattie) Greer of Woodlawn.
He is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Ann (Daniel) Cheatham of Mount Washington; a son, Jeffrey A. Greer of Sacramento, California; a daughter, Jennifer L. Greer (Robert N. Gandy) of Birmingham, Alabama; and a series of wonderful nieces and nephews, including several who helped with his care, Dianna (Don) Summers of Elizabethtown, Joy (Jeff) Stopher of Taylorsville and a great niece, Tara (Sean) Bowers, and her daughter, Violet, of Glendale.
Eager to get off the farm, in 1940, Curtis bought a used Indian Chief motorcycle so he could attend Bardstown High School. Upon graduating in 1944, he joined the Army Air Force, serving in both World War II and the Korean War. In the Air Force, Curtis quickly mastered the new field of radar/air traffic control, rose to the rank of chief master sergeant (at 28) and tower chief and received multiple recognitions for saving pilots' lives by guiding their aircrafts to safe landings during dangerous conditions. A lover of travel and culture, Curtis served at military bases around the world, including the Azores, Japan, Korea, Guam, Germany, Greenland and England. He enjoyed speaking Japanese and German courtesy phrases the rest of his life. Upon retiring with 24 years in the Air Force, Curtis enjoyed a second career with civil service at the control tower at Godman Army Air Field on Fort Knox.
Curtis married twice, first to Jo Ann Roy Greer (divorced) and most recently, to his late wife Ruby on St. Patrick's Day 1977 in Memorial United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, where Curtis was a member. With Ruby, Curtis enjoyed the great romance of his life. "We were kindred spirits," he used to say. They took road trips to state and national parks, went snow skiing in California and New York, spent autumns in the Great Smoky Mountains and flew to Alaska, Hawaii, Great Britain and Europe. In his free time, Curtis enjoyed listening to music, growing roses, reading Time magazine, watching University of Kentucky basketball, and visiting with his sister, his two adult children, and the rest of the extended Greer family.
BuriaL will be private in Poplar Flat Cemetery in Nelson County. Expressions of sympathy may be donations to Hosparus Hospice of Central Kentucky, 105 Diecks Drive, Elizabethtown, KY 42701, or Memorial United Methodist Church, 631 N. Miles St., Elizabethtown, KY 42701. As Curtis would say, in his best Japanese, "Arigatou (Thank you)" and "Sayounara (Good bye).
Published in The News-Enterprise on May 19, 2016
Prior to his death, Curtis celebrated his 90th birthday with a barbecue luncheon at Helmwood, opening numerous cards from family, friends and cherished neighbors on Dogwood Drive and Tricia Lane. In fact, when he recently sold his house on Dogwood, he told the buyer, "You got a bargain because the neighbors alone are worth a million dollars."
Curtis was born March 9, 1926, to Bessie and Milton Greer, on the family farm in Woodlawn. A descendent of Samuel Greer, a Revolutionary War veteran, Curtis was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife of 37 years, Ruby J. Stivers Greer; and three brothers, William Milton "Jack" (Mary Lee) Greer of Lexington, Raymond Milton "R.M." (Kathryn) Greer of Bardstown and Ray Lindsey (Mattie) Greer of Woodlawn.
He is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Ann (Daniel) Cheatham of Mount Washington; a son, Jeffrey A. Greer of Sacramento, California; a daughter, Jennifer L. Greer (Robert N. Gandy) of Birmingham, Alabama; and a series of wonderful nieces and nephews, including several who helped with his care, Dianna (Don) Summers of Elizabethtown, Joy (Jeff) Stopher of Taylorsville and a great niece, Tara (Sean) Bowers, and her daughter, Violet, of Glendale.
Eager to get off the farm, in 1940, Curtis bought a used Indian Chief motorcycle so he could attend Bardstown High School. Upon graduating in 1944, he joined the Army Air Force, serving in both World War II and the Korean War. In the Air Force, Curtis quickly mastered the new field of radar/air traffic control, rose to the rank of chief master sergeant (at 28) and tower chief and received multiple recognitions for saving pilots' lives by guiding their aircrafts to safe landings during dangerous conditions. A lover of travel and culture, Curtis served at military bases around the world, including the Azores, Japan, Korea, Guam, Germany, Greenland and England. He enjoyed speaking Japanese and German courtesy phrases the rest of his life. Upon retiring with 24 years in the Air Force, Curtis enjoyed a second career with civil service at the control tower at Godman Army Air Field on Fort Knox.
Curtis married twice, first to Jo Ann Roy Greer (divorced) and most recently, to his late wife Ruby on St. Patrick's Day 1977 in Memorial United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, where Curtis was a member. With Ruby, Curtis enjoyed the great romance of his life. "We were kindred spirits," he used to say. They took road trips to state and national parks, went snow skiing in California and New York, spent autumns in the Great Smoky Mountains and flew to Alaska, Hawaii, Great Britain and Europe. In his free time, Curtis enjoyed listening to music, growing roses, reading Time magazine, watching University of Kentucky basketball, and visiting with his sister, his two adult children, and the rest of the extended Greer family.
BuriaL will be private in Poplar Flat Cemetery in Nelson County. Expressions of sympathy may be donations to Hosparus Hospice of Central Kentucky, 105 Diecks Drive, Elizabethtown, KY 42701, or Memorial United Methodist Church, 631 N. Miles St., Elizabethtown, KY 42701. As Curtis would say, in his best Japanese, "Arigatou (Thank you)" and "Sayounara (Good bye).
Published in The News-Enterprise on May 19, 2016
Curtis Lee Greer, 90, a veteran and career serviceman, of Elizabethtown, passed away Friday, May 13, 2016, of complications of pneumonia at Helmwood Healthcare in Elizabethtown.
Prior to his death, Curtis celebrated his 90th birthday with a barbecue luncheon at Helmwood, opening numerous cards from family, friends and cherished neighbors on Dogwood Drive and Tricia Lane. In fact, when he recently sold his house on Dogwood, he told the buyer, "You got a bargain because the neighbors alone are worth a million dollars."
Curtis was born March 9, 1926, to Bessie and Milton Greer, on the family farm in Woodlawn. A descendent of Samuel Greer, a Revolutionary War veteran, Curtis was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife of 37 years, Ruby J. Stivers Greer; and three brothers, William Milton "Jack" (Mary Lee) Greer of Lexington, Raymond Milton "R.M." (Kathryn) Greer of Bardstown and Ray Lindsey (Mattie) Greer of Woodlawn.
He is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Ann (Daniel) Cheatham of Mount Washington; a son, Jeffrey A. Greer of Sacramento, California; a daughter, Jennifer L. Greer (Robert N. Gandy) of Birmingham, Alabama; and a series of wonderful nieces and nephews, including several who helped with his care, Dianna (Don) Summers of Elizabethtown, Joy (Jeff) Stopher of Taylorsville and a great niece, Tara (Sean) Bowers, and her daughter, Violet, of Glendale.
Eager to get off the farm, in 1940, Curtis bought a used Indian Chief motorcycle so he could attend Bardstown High School. Upon graduating in 1944, he joined the Army Air Force, serving in both World War II and the Korean War. In the Air Force, Curtis quickly mastered the new field of radar/air traffic control, rose to the rank of chief master sergeant (at 28) and tower chief and received multiple recognitions for saving pilots' lives by guiding their aircrafts to safe landings during dangerous conditions. A lover of travel and culture, Curtis served at military bases around the world, including the Azores, Japan, Korea, Guam, Germany, Greenland and England. He enjoyed speaking Japanese and German courtesy phrases the rest of his life. Upon retiring with 24 years in the Air Force, Curtis enjoyed a second career with civil service at the control tower at Godman Army Air Field on Fort Knox.
Curtis married twice, first to Jo Ann Roy Greer (divorced) and most recently, to his late wife Ruby on St. Patrick's Day 1977 in Memorial United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, where Curtis was a member. With Ruby, Curtis enjoyed the great romance of his life. "We were kindred spirits," he used to say. They took road trips to state and national parks, went snow skiing in California and New York, spent autumns in the Great Smoky Mountains and flew to Alaska, Hawaii, Great Britain and Europe. In his free time, Curtis enjoyed listening to music, growing roses, reading Time magazine, watching University of Kentucky basketball, and visiting with his sister, his two adult children, and the rest of the extended Greer family.
BuriaL will be private in Poplar Flat Cemetery in Nelson County. Expressions of sympathy may be donations to Hosparus Hospice of Central Kentucky, 105 Diecks Drive, Elizabethtown, KY 42701, or Memorial United Methodist Church, 631 N. Miles St., Elizabethtown, KY 42701. As Curtis would say, in his best Japanese, "Arigatou (Thank you)" and "Sayounara (Good bye).
Published in The News-Enterprise on May 19, 2016
Prior to his death, Curtis celebrated his 90th birthday with a barbecue luncheon at Helmwood, opening numerous cards from family, friends and cherished neighbors on Dogwood Drive and Tricia Lane. In fact, when he recently sold his house on Dogwood, he told the buyer, "You got a bargain because the neighbors alone are worth a million dollars."
Curtis was born March 9, 1926, to Bessie and Milton Greer, on the family farm in Woodlawn. A descendent of Samuel Greer, a Revolutionary War veteran, Curtis was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife of 37 years, Ruby J. Stivers Greer; and three brothers, William Milton "Jack" (Mary Lee) Greer of Lexington, Raymond Milton "R.M." (Kathryn) Greer of Bardstown and Ray Lindsey (Mattie) Greer of Woodlawn.
He is survived by a sister, Elizabeth Ann (Daniel) Cheatham of Mount Washington; a son, Jeffrey A. Greer of Sacramento, California; a daughter, Jennifer L. Greer (Robert N. Gandy) of Birmingham, Alabama; and a series of wonderful nieces and nephews, including several who helped with his care, Dianna (Don) Summers of Elizabethtown, Joy (Jeff) Stopher of Taylorsville and a great niece, Tara (Sean) Bowers, and her daughter, Violet, of Glendale.
Eager to get off the farm, in 1940, Curtis bought a used Indian Chief motorcycle so he could attend Bardstown High School. Upon graduating in 1944, he joined the Army Air Force, serving in both World War II and the Korean War. In the Air Force, Curtis quickly mastered the new field of radar/air traffic control, rose to the rank of chief master sergeant (at 28) and tower chief and received multiple recognitions for saving pilots' lives by guiding their aircrafts to safe landings during dangerous conditions. A lover of travel and culture, Curtis served at military bases around the world, including the Azores, Japan, Korea, Guam, Germany, Greenland and England. He enjoyed speaking Japanese and German courtesy phrases the rest of his life. Upon retiring with 24 years in the Air Force, Curtis enjoyed a second career with civil service at the control tower at Godman Army Air Field on Fort Knox.
Curtis married twice, first to Jo Ann Roy Greer (divorced) and most recently, to his late wife Ruby on St. Patrick's Day 1977 in Memorial United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, where Curtis was a member. With Ruby, Curtis enjoyed the great romance of his life. "We were kindred spirits," he used to say. They took road trips to state and national parks, went snow skiing in California and New York, spent autumns in the Great Smoky Mountains and flew to Alaska, Hawaii, Great Britain and Europe. In his free time, Curtis enjoyed listening to music, growing roses, reading Time magazine, watching University of Kentucky basketball, and visiting with his sister, his two adult children, and the rest of the extended Greer family.
BuriaL will be private in Poplar Flat Cemetery in Nelson County. Expressions of sympathy may be donations to Hosparus Hospice of Central Kentucky, 105 Diecks Drive, Elizabethtown, KY 42701, or Memorial United Methodist Church, 631 N. Miles St., Elizabethtown, KY 42701. As Curtis would say, in his best Japanese, "Arigatou (Thank you)" and "Sayounara (Good bye).
Published in The News-Enterprise on May 19, 2016
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