Obituary of Allison Jayne Rockefeller Greene

Allison Rockefeller Greene, age 65, died on April 8, 2017, at her home at 8808 Oxford Court, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was born Allison Jayne Rockefeller on February 10, 1952, in Ridgewood, New Jersey to Winston Gardner Rockefeller and Barbara Millard Rockefeller. After graduating from Pascack Hills High School in New Jersey in 1970, Allison attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she met her future husband, William R. (Bill) Greene. They married on August 17, 1974. Allison received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from UNC-G that year. On February 14, 1978, Allison gave birth to a son, Austin Louis Greene. That summer, Bill entered the U.S. Air Force's Officer Training School in Texas, preparatory to entering the Air Force as a Lieutenant, moving the family to Lowry Air Force Base in Aurora/Denver, Colorado in September. In December, Allison was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Allison worked as a Lab Technician at the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center before taking a position as a Systems Programmer with McDonnell-Douglas Automation Corp. In November 1982, the family moved to Wayland, Massachusetts. Allison took a position as Member of Technical Staff at Adams-Russell Company's Digital Processing Division in Waltham in 1983. In 1984, she took a position as Software Engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation in Marlborough. By this time, she was driving a car with hand controls, moving short distances with a Canadian crutch and longer distances self-propelled in a wheelchair. Allison transferred within DEC in 1987 to their office in Morrisville, North Carolina, bringing the family back to North Carolina, where they settled in Chapel Hill. Allison lost her job at DEC during a downsizing in 1991, right after the family had built their house at 8808 Oxford Court in the Laurel Hills neighborhood near Calvander. The house was built to Allison's needs, with no stairs and wide doors. Allison worked from 1993 to 1994 as a Software Engineer for Computer Sciences Corp. in Research Triangle Park. By this time, Allison's MS had progressed to the point where she always used a wheelchair and had lost the use of her left arm. By 1994, she was no longer able to find work and began receiving disability benefits. The family constructed a computer set-up for Allison that allowed her to operate a computer without the use of her hands, in or out of bed. She spent many hours sending and receiving e-mail, browsing the Web, and playing games and solving puzzles. Around 2006, Allison qualified for Medicaid's Community Alternatives Program (CAP), which allowed her to receive medical and nursing services in the home. In 2011, a grandaughter, Raven Jayne Greene, was born. Allison was a member of The Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill. Survivors include Allison's husband Bill, her son Austin, her granddaughter Raven, her mother Barbara, and her sisters Wynne Anne Webster, Wendy Gardner Ryle, and Laurie Rockefeller Precht. Allison's father Winston died in 1996. The Greene family will receive family and friends for a visitation on April 18, 2017 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm on April 19, 2017 at The Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill. Walker's Funeral Service of Chapel Hill is honored to serve the Greene family. Online condolences may be offered at www.walkersfuneralservice.com.