Grace Evelyn Green

GRACE EVELYN GREEN - OBITUARY Grace Evelyn Green, born in 1937 in Boston MA, died in Las Cruces NM in August of 2020, the victim of long-developing arterial disease. She arrived in Las Cruces in 2002 from Memphis TN, where she and her partner lived for 11 years. Her life in Cruces was the longest time to live anywhere in the world since she left New Jersey to go to work on her BS degree in Education at William Jennings Bryan College in Dayton TN. After finishing her Master's Degree at Indiana University in 1962, Grayce left the snows of the Midwest for the sunny clime of California, where she lived for 6 years, teaching in both San Bernardino and Palos Verdes and loving the weekend party life. When she heard about the Department of Defense Dependents' School program, she applied immediately. She loved travel and the exploration of foreign cultures and settings even more than partying, and the DoDDS structure allowed her to live in Germany, Spain, and Turkey from 1967-1990. It was in Turkey that she met and married Johnnie Ruth Aldrich, with whom she lived and traveled for 42 years. Their first marriage was informal, at Thanksgiving 1978, both of them wearing swim suits and beach dresses on the Mediterranean shore of Turkey. In the ruins of a 4th-century Byzantine church near their favorite campground, they stood at the altar and spoke their invented solemn vows. The second, formal ceremony did not happen until 2014 at the Doa Ana County NM Courthouse. Grace's formal teaching career ended in 1990 when she and Johnnie moved to the Republic of North Cyprus, a major change for them because Johnnie became the principal bread-winner and Grayce, the Master Teacher of middle school children, became a housewife. She, as usual, managed that change with aplomb and the great good humor that was so much her. The adventurous 3 years in North Cyprus ended when administrative changes at the small college where Johnnie was dean resulted in their return to the U.S. Grace's housewifery role continued during their 11 years in Memphis, even though the heat and humidity of the Mid-South were not her favorite living conditions. When Johnnie was preparing to retire in 2002, she delegated the choice of "anyplace in New Mexico" to teacher/lover-of-geography Grace. She chose Las Cruces and never regretted it. Just 3 years ago, she, rarely a "joiner," discovered and signed on as a member of the Gemcrafters' and Explorers' Club. Always a collector and admirer of rocks, Grace especially gloried in the group's field trips into the desert and mountains where she could collect to her heart's content and get answers to her questions from club members, many of whom are long-time professional "rock hounds" or jewelry artisans. All of the club's varied activities were a huge source of pleasure for her in these final years when her physical abilities were considerably diminished. Beginning in 2003, thanks to the willingness of Grace's younger brother Richard and his wife Linda to share their RV space on numerous multi-mile journeys, she was able to fulfill her bucket list desire to see every one of the 50 contiguous U.S. states and Alaska. Also, in the past 18 years, Las Cruces was a hub for further visits to South America, Hawaii, and Cuba so that she got to live in or visit 58 countries during her 83 years. Grace was the middle child of 8 siblings, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. Her mother never cooked for fewer than 12 people and one of Grace's greatest challenges was learning to cook for two! She remained true to her heritage and became an active member of the First Presbyterian Church here, where other members appreciated her splendid wit and jovial spirit. Survivors include Lifetime Partner Johnnie, Richard and Linda Green of Hot Springs Village AR; a younger sister, Sue Leonard of Bristol TN, Mrs. Hubert Green (Wanda) of Bangor PA, and 23 nieces and nephews. Among the latter, Grace was closest to Robin Orcutt of Blairstown NM, but she will be missed by all because one of her favorite roles in her younger years was that of "the crazy auntie" who would visit them annually from overseas. These survivors, especially Johnnie, express profound gratitude to the Memorial Medical Center Emergency Room staff, who mitigated the pain of her transition from this world, to the surgical team that fought mightily to keep her here, to the neighbors who stepped into the support role of distant family members who could not be present, and to Pastor Norm Story and the congregation of First Presbyterian Church who have been constant reminders of the power of Love and Prayer. Grace specified cremation rather than burial, and a memorial service will be held at a future date. Memorials may be sent to First Presbyterian Church of Las Cruces, specifying "Salt and Light" (the children's and youth program) on a check's memo line.