Dynamic, faithful, funny, thoughtful, engaging, devoted, a great writer, a man of faith.
More than one thought comes to mind when I think of Oscar Greene, who recently died at age 104. Most of all I mourn the loss of a friend. A friend to Guideposts and to me.
In an era when most people reach out by text or email, Oscar was of the old school. He called. I’d pick up the phone and there he’d be, ready to pitch a story, talk about a story he’d read, cogitate over devotionals he was writing or tell me a little bit about his life.
A Black man, highly educated, he had to face incidents of racial bias again and again, especially in his career. What amazed me was how he could describe such incidents without bitterness or rage. Just honesty. And the hope that things could change.
He was a devoted husband. His beloved wife, Ruby, died decades earlier and for some of those last years he was the caregiver. But never with any complaints. Simply compassion. And as I write this, I don’t think he would ever say he was a caregiver. He loved her and believed in marriage forever.
He was devoted to his church. He worshipped in the Episcopal Church and served in the Altar Guild. More often than not, the Altar Guild is made up of women. Oscar was not one to be dissuaded. If he could help, he would help.
His last years were spent in a retirement community. There he volunteered to teach a writing course. He had been a winner in Guideposts Writers Workshop Contest and all that he learned there he would pass along to others.
He was always a helper.
We often talked of his Guideposts friends, especially his fellow workshopper Isabel Wolseley Torrey. If she couldn’t reach Oscar, she called me and if he couldn’t reach Isabel, he called me. That’s what friends are for.
Lastly as Oscar always showed in his writing, he was a man of solid faith. As he goes on this next part of our journey I don’t doubt it is serving him well. And I suspect I’ll receive a heavenly call from him—just to check up on me—one of these days. Up there with the angels.
