Letha Jane Greene

1942 - 2020

Letha Jane Greene

Letha Jane Greene died suddenly on June 20 at age 77. She was born in Cincinnati in 1942 to Capt. Tom Greene and Letha Cavendish Greene. From early childhood, Jane traveled the inland waterways on her families steamboats, one of which was the Delta Queen. After graduating from Withrow High School, Jane attended the University of Cincinnati, where she earned a degree in English and minored in history and secondary education, later acquiring a master's degree in literature from Xavier University. She taught English for 32 years at Withrow, both entertaining and educating her students, who adored her. Jane's teaching was steeped in creativity; a deep love of literature, especially Shakespeare; and an innate understanding of teenagers. In one of her lessons, students conducted a funeral service for Hamlet, replete with a eulogy, hymns, and press coverage. To popularize Julius Caesar, she awarded a cash prize to the first student who entered class on March 15 proclaiming Beware the Ides of March. Following her retirement, students continued to reach out to her on that date. Additionally, to this day, many former students cite their favorite words from decades-old vocabulary lessons. As faculty advisor to Dux Femina, a service and honor sorority, Jane planned activities that not only united the girls but also served the school. The young women planted bulbs in the campus front yard; sponsored a spring dance, the Tigertown Twirl; hosted special guests; and in the 1970s, canvassed the Hyde Park community to raise funds to restore the schools landmark bridge. The Withrow Alumni Associations reading center bears Jane's name. During the past twenty years, Jane captured the adventures and tales of her life on the river in humorous speaking engagements aboard the Delta Queen, American Queen, and Mississippi Queen, as well as at the Mercantile Library, University Club, Knox Presbyterian Church, Marjorie P. Lee Retirement Community, Terrace Park Historical Society, and Tall Stacks Festivals. She delighted audiences with stories of her father's purchase of the Delta Queen and her mother's onboard dos and don'ts for the Greene children; recollections of her grandmother, who served pickled pig's feet to President Herbert Hoover and was the first woman to have earned her steamboat pilots license; and anecdotes about the passengers, who included President Jimmy Carter, Princess Margaret, Helen Hayes, Patricia Neal, Van Johnson, and William Carlos Williams. Jane is survived by her brother Thomas Greene (Shirley), niece Adrienne and nephews Nathan, Thomas, Christopher, Daniel, and Joel. Visitation will be at T.P. WHITE & SONS Funeral Home, 2050 Beechmont Ave., Mt. Washington on Thursday July 2, from 5:00-7:00 PM. Memorial Service is Private. Memorials may be made to the Withrow Alumni Association, P.O. Box 8186, Cincinnati, OH 45208.