- Date Of Birth: August 17, 1923
- Date Of Death: March 24, 2022
- State: Indiana
Ralph J Green Jr (RJ), 98, passed away on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at Westminster Village, West Lafayette. He was born on August 17, 1923, in Naylor, MO to the late Ralph and Beulah Green. He is survived by two sons, Robert (wife Mary K) of La Porte TX and William (wife Carol) of Silverdale WA and by his brother Sam of Hot Springs Village AR. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years Betty, his daughter Susan, and his brother Robert.
His family moved to Terre Haute IN in 1927 where his parents lived until their deaths. RJ enrolled in Indiana State University in 1941 and enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1942. His education was interrupted in 1943 when he was called to active duty in World War II. Shortly after his marriage to Betty on October 4, 1944, he was sent overseas with the 66th Infantry Division first to England and then to France where he served in the European theater for 20 months. He was awarded the Bronze Star for action during the Battle of the Bulge.
RJ completed his B.S. degree at Indiana State University in 1948. He completed his M.S. degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1953 at Purdue University. Following two years on the faculty of the University of Chicago, in Chicago IL, the family returned to West Lafayette where he joined the faculty of Purdue University in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. His research and counsel was invaluable to the US mint industry for decades.
RJ and Betty were members of the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) to advocate for the residential and educational needs of their daughter Susan who was born with Downs Syndrome. Their efforts focused on improving the educational, employment, and residential choices not only for Susan but for all citizens of Indiana with intellectual disabilities. In 1956 RJ joined the local chapter of the Noon Optimist Club and maintained his membership for the next 66 years. He served three terms as President and was honored as Optimist of the Year on five occasions. He served as an advisor to the annual oratorical contest and he established the annual Optimist Club Christmas tree sale as a fund raiser to support the youth activities of the club. In 2016, the Optimist Club named the Christmas tree lot in his honor.
When RJ retired from Purdue University in 1988, he was named a “Sagamore of the Wabash” by then Governor Robert Orr in “recognition of his many years of public and professional service to the State of Indiana”. He and Betty enjoyed his retirement with numerous trips to visit family in Texas and Washington state as well as cruises through the Panama Canal and Caribbean, Greece and the islands of the eastern Mediterranean, and from Seattle to Alaska which included a land tour of the state as well. RJ continued to enjoy his love of hunting and fishing and spending as much time in the outdoors as possible.
After Betty’s death in 2014 RJ sold their home of 60 years and moved to an apartment in the Westminster Village retirement community. He continued traveling to visit family and devoted a great deal of his time to the Noon Optimist Club. Several health problems necessitated his moving to the Westminster Health Center for treatment and he remained there throughout the Covid-19 shutdown and until his death.
RJ is survived by seven grandchildren, Derik (Peggy) Green, Aaron (Sarah) Green both of Lafayette IN, Jeanne Jaubert of New Orleans LA, John Paul Jaubert of Meterie LA, Kathryn Green of Seattle WA, Sarah (Tyler) Smith of Puyallup WA, Emily (LeRoy) Miller of Tacoma WA. He is also survived by eight great grandchildren, Logan, Aaron Jr, Sif, Thalia, Amelia, Molly, Lincoln and Samuel.
