George Marvin Greer's Obituary
George Marvin Greer, 78, of Bella Vista, Arkansas, died Sunday, September 11, 2005 at his residence, in the presence of his family. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Dewey Raymond Greer, Sr. and Leila Catherine Smith Greer on June 28, 1927. At birth he was taken by his grandmother Bessie Claire Fitzwater Smith for early rearing.
He graduated from Treadwell High School in Memphis, graduated from Principia College, with a degree in Economics and Business Administration. Mr. Greer did graduate studies at the Memphis Art academy and was a certified property manager.
Mr. Greer was involved in Boy Scouts for over thirty years.
He served as a Sergeant in the Army 1253rd Combat Engineers in Europe during World War II. At the request of the commanding base officer and the post chaplain he volunteered as assistant Chaplain, serving his fellow soldiers as well as German Prisoners of War. During his service he coached both volleyball and basketball and played volleyball, representing his base and touring parts of Europe.
Mr. Greer's church activities included eighteen years as a Sunday School student and over 60 years as an active church member. He held church offices and taught teenage Sunday School for thirty-five years. HE studied the Bible in group studies and college courses. After active duty in WWII he served for eleven years as a Christian Science Minister to the armed services at Millington Base in Memphis, TN.
Mr. Greer's great love was his four children; Gregory Milo Greer of Kirkwood, MO.; Geoffrey Raymond Greer of Oak Park, IL; Leila Jeanne Greer Pike of Hailey, ID; Graham Wyllys Greer of Bella Vista, AR; his three grandsons, Dane Michael Greer, Scott William Pike and Morgan Gregory Pike; his sisters Bonnie Greer Dawkins of Birmingham, AL and Berta Greer Vance of Hattiesburg, MS.
A memorial service will be held 1:00 PM, Wednesday, September 14, 2005 at the Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista, Arkansas.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, P.O. Box 102, Gravette, AR 72726.
To sign the online guest book, go to www.nelsonberna.com
Arrangements are by Nelson-Berna Funeral Home and Crematory of Fayetteville.
Family Tribute
Thank you Dave, Barbara and Arlene. That was truly beautiful.
Thank you all for coming today to honor George Greer. Some of you have traveled great distance, some from closer by, and we appreciate your being here. Dad found a home here in Arkansas, and a large part of why he was happy here was that he made great friends. We are grateful to you for making this his home.
I am Greg, this is my brother Geof and sister Jeanne Greer Pike.
The first thing that the three of us would like to do is acknowledge our brother Graham. The past couple of years were a challenge for Dad, and Graham stood by his side. They butted heads, they had differences of opinion, but Graham?s love for Dad led him to accept responsibility for Dad?s care. It was an amazing act of selflessness, and we thank you, Graham.
All four of us want to thank our Aunt Berta, who has provided great comfort to us all, and to Dad. Thank you, Aunt Berta.
George Greer was a beloved friend, colleague, brother, father-in-law, grandfather, and father. We, his children, would like to speak to you about the father we called "PFDG": Papa, Father, Daddy, George. Our father was completely and utterly devoted to us and to his grandsons; he lit up whenever he spoke of Dane or Scott or Morgan.
Our father taught us many valuable lessons through his example and actions. He taught us generosity and kindness, thoughtfulness and loyalty, the value of sacrifice and the importance of celebration? especially if it involved cooking.
Dad showered us with love the best way he knew how he fed us. As many of you know, if Dad loved you, he cooked for you. Actually, even if he didn't love you, he cooked for you.
Cooking was how he expressed his deepest love and care. Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday because it brought together his two greatest loves: food and family.
At the back of the chapel today is a copy of a letter written to his mother by his commanding officer, following his tour of duty at the end of World War II. We encourage you to look it here, or at the reception afterward.
There are some amazing compliments in the letter, which opens with these words: ?In more than four years in the army, I have known hundreds of soldiers, but this is only the second time that I have thought enough of one to bother his mother with a personal letter regarding that soldier. The letter, which we encourage you to read, speaks of his exceptional strength of character.
This letter was written during Dad?s youth, but that exceptional strength of character stayed with him throughout his life.
We saw evidence of this as we made the calls to let you know that Dad had passed on. We heard over and over what a "great guy" he was, generous and helpful to so many. This defined Dad.
You should also know that he was an accomplished businessman who overcame numerous setbacks that would have caused a lesser man to give up.
Dad's last professional position was as administrator at the Village, a retirement community not far from here. His work at the Village was very important to him; he made a point of connecting with each and every individual there. We are very proud of the work that he did there, using his sharp business sense to put the Village on a sound financial footing.
Speaking of business sense the four of us,his grandsons.and many of you in this chapel, can attest to the fact that one of his great business skills was his ability to obtain free labor! He taught his children the value of hard work by having us work hard! His chore lists never ended.
Even when Dad's day job was that of a businessman, he was always a farmer at heart. George means tiller of the soil and our dad was exactly that.
We learned about this early on. When we kids were very young, we moved to a new subdivision outside of Memphis. Dad was very proud to bring his young family to our new house in this pristine suburban neighborhood. The neighbors all had beautiful flower gardens and immaculate lawns.
We watched our new house be built and, as soon as we were settled in, Dad contributed to the neighborhood beautification program by putting in a fence in the back yard and bringing in some?goats.
I guess the fence wasn't quite good enough, because we were always getting calls from irate neighbors about goats eating their flowers.
This developed into a pattern. No matter where we moved, animals seemed to follow. We later came to understand the reason for this?
It was because Dad cherished his summers as a boy on his grandparent's farm in Mount Ida, Arkansas. In fact, he bought his own Arkansas farm to mirror that one. None of us will ever forget weeding our father's garden, both as children and as adults. His garden was never small, but it was one of his greatest pleasures and the source of our greatest aches.
On this farm, he found peace in his later years. His garden and animals, from livestock to household pets, filled his heart with contentment and fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Our father was a jokester and kept his sense of humor to the very end. It helped him through the hardest struggle of his life. He never once wavered from his beloved Christian Science.
Dad fought with determination and deep faith, his cherished sister Berta and his children by his side.
His battle is over, his burden is lifted. He is smiling down on us because he knows he did his job well. He taught well. He lived well. He was a good father and grandfather. He has earned his peace and is soaring high on eagle's wings.
Good-bye dear father. We love you forever.
Your devoted children - Greg, Geof, Jeanne and Graham.
Visitation Date Time No Visitation N/A Visitation Location There will be no visitation Service Date Time Wednesday, September 14, 2005 1:00 PM Service Location Cooper Memorial Chapel in Bella Vista, Arkansas
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