Obituary of John Wesley Greene

John Wesley Greene, Jr, 62, of Pittsboro, NC passed away on Sunday January 4. He was born December 2, 1952, in Camden, SC. He was son of the late Katherine Engleman Greene and John Wesley Greene of Roanoke, VA. John married Katherine Dillon Greene on July 13, 1974. Together they raised two children. John graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology in 1975. He was a Professional Engineer (PE) and spent the majority of his career working for Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA). He retired from OWASA as the General Manager of Operations in 2013 after 32 years of service. Professionally, John held leadership and teaching roles with the NC American Water Works Association - Water Environment Association (NCAWWA-WEA), the NC Collection and Distribution School, and the NC Wastewater Operators' School. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the NCAWWA and the Board of Directors of the Upper Cape Fear River Basin Association. In 2008, he was the 21st recipient of the NCAWWA-WEA's Raymond E. "Red" Ebert Award for excellence in water and wastewater engineering and management. John was a collector of classic cars and enjoyed spending time at Topsail Beach, grilling, going on cruises, and fixing things around the house or with his cars. He was HOA President of Soundside Park at North Topsail Beach. He was a volunteer with the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and served as race director for their annual run/walk for several years. He also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. John, a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and brother, is survived by wife Katherine Dillon Greene, of Pittsboro, NC; children Michael Greene, of Raleigh and Katie Rich (husband Mike) of Snow Camp, NC, grandchildren Austin, Jace, and Grace Rich of Snow Camp, NC; sisters, Karen Houghton, (husband Jerry) and Brenda Harris (husband Mark) both of Roanoke, VA and brother Richard Greene, (wife Cindy) of Raleigh, NC. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Habitat for Humanity. The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 PM on Thursday, January 8, 2015 at Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill. Funeral Services will be held at 2 PM on Friday, January 9, 2015 at the Chapel of the Cross.