Michael James Green

FAMOUS QUOTE: “You come into this world with nothing. You leave with your reputation and your family” Mike Green. Mike and his older brother Denis lived with their mother Betty McDonough Green and Grandmother Mary McDonough in Santa Monica. They struggled in poverty but Mike felt loved throughout his childhood. 

Mike started working as a young boy selling newspapers at the Santa Monica pier and attended St. Monica Catholic School. During his teenage years, he was on a California State Junior Bowling Championship team and played guitar in a band in high school. Mike graduated in 1959 and regularly attended his St. Monica high school reunions. He started college at San Fernando Valley State College (CSUN) and joined the fraternity Delta Upsilon making lifelong friends. His nickname was “The Bod” as he was a little bit lanky in a mostly jock fraternity. While in the fraternity, he lived in Marwyck Ranch, once owned by the actress Betty Stanwyck. He worked as a machinist at Rocketdyne. Mike wanted to work in aerospace because he heard JFK’s Moon Speech in 1962 “We Choose to Go to the Moon” and wanted to be part of the program. Mike was drafted by the Army in 1963. His journey took him from basic training at Monterey to Fort Lewis in Washington to South Korea. Sergeant Green served in the Army until 1965.

He married Joyce (n’ee Snyder) in 1968 and raised two sons, Brian and Geoffrey, in Granada Hills, CA. Early in their marriage, Mike returned to college, enrolling in Valley College and obtained his Associate’s Degree. He knew he would return again to earn his bachelor degree. Mike worked the majority of his professional life at Rockwell in Logistics - a strenuous job with a long commute and frequent travel. He played in an adult basketball league in his 30’s and frequently went to a local park for pick-up games on the weekends. Mike loved to hike in California and was a member of the Angeles Chapter Sierra Club Hundred Peaks. He had early heart problems in his 40’s, most likely due to genetics as his mom, dad, and brother all died in their 40’s. He was proactive about his health which he believed extended his life. Joyce passed away in 1993 from breast cancer. Determined to learn to cook for himself and Geoff after Joyce’s passing, Mike took a knife skills cooking class and truly became a talented master chef. 

A friend introduced Mike to a widow, Karen, (n’ee Jones Howard).They fell in love at first sight and married towards the end of 1994. The first 15 years of marriage they lived in Granada Hills, CA and the next 15 years were lived in Mansfield, TX. Mike delighted in planning and executing menus. He cooked for all the major holidays and always had a recipe or cooking instructions to share. He was extraordinarily intelligent. He also was curious and loved to learn for learning's sake. He loved discussing debates and anything political and talked about all things aeronautical. His favorite philosopher was Blaise Pascal. To Mike, integrity and character were paramount, and he tried to live his life by them. Retired in 1996, Mike re-enrolled in college (CSUN) to complete his goal of earning his Bachelor’s Degree. After earning his B.A. in History he followed it with a Master’s Degree in Geography. Mike was definitely a renaissance man. He had so many varied interests. He was the best storyteller ever, an avid reader, and wrote beautifully. He enjoyed community theater, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Fort Worth Symphony and was very active in the Southern California historical society and had season tickets to the Hollywood Bowl for over 10 years. Eclectic taste in music: classical, country, folk music, opera & Broadway. Mike loved hearing Karen practice playing on the piano, especially classical music. Mike would frequently take out his guitar and play songs and sing folk songs to his 2 boys and later to his grandchildren. Mike enjoyed the challenge of games and puzzles. He and Karen made time every day to work the New York Times crossword puzzle. He loved chess with a passion and would never lose a game on purpose, even to his children or grandkids. Mike loved football. He had season tickets to UCLA games for many years. He ran a family/friend football league called “Pickers” for 22 years. He was the “Meister”. He delighted in researching football and putting together a weekly blog. He also played in a family fantasy football league. In the last few years, Mike became a baseball fan following The Rangers, going to a World Series game in 2011, and always looked forward to watching his grandson, Holden, play baseball on GameChanger. His family and friends were everything to him. He loved dearly and deeply. He loved being called Papa! Mike traveled to numerous states and countries in retirement and especially enjoyed road trips (even obscure back roads, seeing nearly every corner of California and New Mexico), chasing Civil War sites, Hawaii and Paris. They celebrated Mike and Karen’s 20th wedding anniversary in New Orleans, LA, and Mike’s 80th birthday in Galveston, TX. Mike and Karen planned several family trips to bring their children and grandchildren who lived in CO, CA, and TX together. Mike was a parishioner at St. Jude Catholic Church. 

Mike and Karen would have celebrated their 30 year anniversary on 11/19/2024.Mike and his dog, Little Bit, were the dearest friends and Little Bit was by his side until the very end. Preceded in death by older brother Denis Green, Brother-in-Law David Jones, and Sister-in-Law Jana Jones Survived by: Wife Karen Jones Howard Green, Sisters-in-Law Janet Green and Jan Jones, Brother-in-Law Ransom Jones, Sons Brian Green and Geoffrey Green, Stepson Lance Howard, Daughters-In-Law Karen Green and Christine Green, Nieces: Kristen Goodman, Shannon Daniels, Lisa Norlie, Dr. Kory Jones, Ali Jones, Nephews: Patrick Green, Bryan Jones, Greg Norlie, Steven Jones, James Michael Jones, Christopher Jones, Grandchildren: Collin Green, Carson Green, Meghan Green, Ryan Green, Natalia Escobar, Jack Green, Gabriel Martinez, Jade Howard, Holden Green, Great-granddaughter Eliana Escobar. Memorial donations may be made in Mike’s honor to Society of St. Vincent de Paul - St. Jude Food Pantry at St. Jude Catholic Church (http://www.stjudemansfieldtx.org/pastoral-ministry)Graveside Service will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery .A Memorial Service will follow at Blessing Funeral Home at 11:00 a.m. in Mansfield and a Celebration of Life will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Kathryn Wilemon Lake House Event Center in Arlington.