William Childress Green, 64, of Boothbay, formerly of Guilford, Conn., died June 25 after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Tamzon; loving daughters, Laurie and Cally; granddaughter, Clare; son-in-law, Robert Colburn; and brothers and sisters. He is predeceased by his brother, Duke Green and sister, Evelyn Barnes.
William was born in Cottonwood, Mo. to the late Alphus and Tommie Louise Green.
After graduating from Farmington High School in 1964, he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a propeller mechanic during the Vietnam War until 1969. He met and married Tam in Lexington, Mass. while on leave. They married on March 17, 1968 and Tam joined him in the Philippines until they returned to the U.S. and Boothbay Harbor, where their oldest daughter, Laurie, was born.
He worked as a yard foreman at Messina Lumber and was a parking attendant at Fisherman’s Wharf. In 1971 and 1972 they lived on Nantucket where he was a carpenter’s helper and a plumber’s assistant.
He attended the Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute and graduated with a degree in applied marine science with a concentration in marine biology and oceanography. In 1972, he, Tam and Laurie moved to Florida where he attended the University of South Florida and graduated with a degree in biology from the College of Natural Sciences.
He was an avid collector of found objects, including antique bottles, geodes, shells, fossils and native artifacts.
His daughter, Cally, was born and the Green family lived there until in 1976 they moved to Guilford, Conn. where he began a career as an aquaculture consultant. He designed hatchery systems for lobsters, hard clams and scallops. His love of the water also provided him and Tam with many years of partnership and proprietorship of Brown’s Boatyard (1978-1982) and Bayberry Creek Marina, Inc. (1982-1995), both located on the West River in Guilford, Conn.
He was an elementary school science teacher at Saint Thomas Day School in New Haven, from 1980 to 1985. He graduated from the Yale School of Forestry in 1988 where he received a master’s degree in environmental management. He worked for the town of Guilford as its environmental analyst from 1989 until 2000 where, as an estuarine scientist, he administered the town’s Water Pollution Control Program.
William also established a small community vegetable garden at the town hall for town employees, neighbors and those in need. His capstone project as an environmental leader while working for the town was fundraising for, designing and building a fish ladder to encourage runs of alewife, blueback herring and sea-run brown trout.
After almost 30 years in Guilford, he and Tam decided to move to Portland closer to their daughters where they restored a post and beam barn on their property and opened a custom picture framing business.
While boating, fishing, golfing and studying nature were his favorite outdoor activities, his first and most accomplished passion was billiards. While in Portland he joined a pool league where he played individually and on a team league. He captained, mentored and won Eight and Nine Ball Regional and National Championship competitions. He garnered many trophies, awards and plaques during his billiards career.
A celebration of William’s life will take place in the spring of 2012 in Guilford, date and location to be announced. A private service with extended family will be held in Missouri.
Please send memorial contributions in William’s name to Miles & St. Andrews Home Health and Hospice, c/o LCH Development Office, P.O. Box 417, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.
