Greene, Alan Kenneth Age 87, of Spring Park, passed away surrounded by family on March 2nd, 2021 after a 5 year battle with Interstitial Lung Disease. Preceded in death by his loving wife (only 4 months prior), Norma Jean; parents, Kenneth & Ruth (Peterson) Greene; sister, Charlotte (Harry) Sharer; step-son, Mark Christensen. Alan grew up in Mt. Vernon, IL and summered with his siblings at the home of their grandparents in Biwabik, MN. He remained close to his siblings and/or their families throughout his entire life. He attended 1 year of college before he was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War stationed in Sendai, Japan where he worked as a high-speed radio operator mastering Morse Code in the Signal Corp and learned to speak Japanese. Upon his return to college, he refused to move out of what had become the "black" dorm, which resulted in an impromptu dinner with Martin Luther King Jr. Staying there, he went on to finish his bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University. His first job out of college was for the US Dept of Agriculture in Washington, DC. Two years later he landed in Minnesota where he began his journey up the corporate ladder with companies like Red Owl and Super Valu all while raising his two boys Jeffrey and Christopher. He was able to master his skill in food distribution and storage sometimes doubling or even tripling warehouse capacity without changing the footprint of the structure. Years later, he met, fell in love and merged his interests with those of his beloved Norma Jean. They married in 1983 where their love story spanned over 37 years. They blended their 5 young adult children and began their journey together in the lakefront home of Norma in Orono, MN. In 2010, he ventured out on his own to form The Alan Greene Company. He officially retired and completed his final job in the spring of 2020. Alan had many interests. He was a seeker of knowledge; he loved to read, travel, and build radio-controlled model airplanes. His love for music was immense. He started in his younger years with the flute, then the piccolo, and eventually the double base fiddle. He was very competitive, enjoying ping pong, competing in pool tournaments, and neighborhood Bridge groups with Norma as his partner. Together Alan & Norma traveled to destinations like Bulgaria, Indonesia, Costa Rica and many more. They eventually purchased land in North Carolina as their retirement destination only to sell a few years later once the grandchildren began to arrive. Alan was an ambitious grandfather. He studied each grandchild to find ways he could connect based on "their" needs, not his. For some it was helping them navigate their education and finish school, some he tried to connect by challenging them using games they loved, and he never "let" them win. It was his nature to teach them to earn what they received in life and he did it well. Some he connected through music, others through books or sailing, he even bought a horse. He adored his wife Norma. They spent many years involved and promoting Upper Minnetonka Yacht Club. Where he had many roles, starting with photographer, sailor in the C scow & Ensign fleets, race official, Commodore and sous chef for his social coordinator, Norma. He served on the Three Parks Board for many years. He will be missed by all those who knew and loved him. Survived by sons, Jeffrey Greene and Christopher Greene; step-son, Gary (Kizzy) Christensen; step-daughter, Kathleen (Jeffrey) Traxler; grandchildren, Alex Beno, Alanna Greene, Jesse (Erin) Cote, Abbigail Christensen, Matthew Christensen, Erin Traxler, Samuel (Allie) Traxler, Megan Traxler, and Mary Traxler; great-grandchildren, Charlee Greene, Dillon Cote, Annie Cote, and Harper Cote; brother, D. Edward (Betty) Greene; nieces and nephews, Cynthia (Sharer) Silver, Julianne Sharer, Kenneth Sharer, Michael Greene, David Greene, Cathy (Sharer) Gocobachi, Elizabeth Sharer, and Steven Greene; great-nieces and nephews, Nina Greene, Noah Greene, Kyle Greene, Kate Greene, Kellen Bradley, Elizabeth Sharer, Rachel Kessler, Nadav Kessler, Eitan Kessler, Danielle Silver, Jacob Weisman-Sharer, and Lucas Gocobachi. We are truly blessed to be able to celebrate their love story together with a service for both Alan and Norma at St Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wayzata, MN on May 25th at 11 o'clock in the morning. Due to COVID restrictions, there will be no gathering before or after the service. In memory of both Alan and Norma, please send memorials to the Upper Minnetonka Yacht Club. They will be laid to rest at St John's Memorial Garden beside Mark at a private burial to be determined.

Published on March 14, 2021