Jeff Green

News Obituary Article

CANTON: Jeff Green, 35, maker of prosthetics, skates

By KAY POWELL

Jeff Green was adept at learning from doing, not from books. With his attention to detail and artistic eye, he excelled at creating artificial limbs and braces. His competitive spirit drove him to try every challenging sport from skydiving to rock climbing.

"He was always on the go doing something," said his friend since childhood, David DeBord of Marietta. "You could just about name a sport, and we've tried it."

Jeffrey Winfield Green, 35, of Canton died Friday in a one-car automobile accident in Forsyth County. The funeral is 2 p.m. today at Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.

At Southern Prosthetic Supply, Mr. Green recently had been promoted to director of technical services, said his sister, Ginger Gronholm of Roswell, and had earned the designation of registered prosthetic and orthotic technician.

Mr. Green grew up in Roswell, graduated from high school in Forsyth County and went to work as a prosthetic technician with Mr. DeBord. At Southern Prosthetic he learned to cast limbs to create braces and artificial arms and legs. He went to Germany to become one of the first people in the United States to learn how to repair a new style of artificial knee which, until then, had to be returned to Germany to be fixed, Mr. DeBord said.

"He knew the answer to anything. He knew anatomy, but it's nothing he studied. He picked it up on his own. That's the kind of guy he was. He was not a book guy. You could show him something one time, and he got it," Mr. DeBord said. "He's one of these guys who's extremely detail oriented and artistic."

His brother, Matthew Green of Woodstock, had worked with him at Southern Prosthetic. "He was very good with his hands," his brother said. "He was a very creative person, very organized, very perfectionist. He loved his job and was good at it."

In his youth, Mr. Green had been a speed skater, and that led to his sideline job of creating customized inline racing skates. He was skilled at casting the skater's foot and leg to create a mold and sculpt a replica. From his knowledge of anatomy, he knew where to put relief so the boots wouldn't pinch a nerve. He had access to a variety of leathers and created distinctive designs.

"He just made it look like a professional boot," Mr. DeBord said.

Probably 35 percent of skaters on local speed teams own a boot custom fitted and designed by Mr. Green, his brother said.

Bicycling was his favorite sport. He enjoyed riding in the mountains, making four-mile climbs. He rode 80-100 miles on the weekends, his sister said.

He liked to entertain but for his parties, "He didn't cook. He'd have food, but he didn't cook. He was a bachelor guy," his brother said.

"I'm not even sure he knew how to turn the stove on," Mr. DeBord said.

Their relationship endured, he said, because Mr. Green was a faithful friend: "You literally couldn't know a better person."

Other survivors include his parents, Ivanette and Jerry Green of Woodstock.

© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution