Bradford M. Greene

PEABODY – Mr. Bradford M. Greene, 96, of Peabody MA, husband of the late Mary Louise (Cobb) Greene, died peacefully on Sunday, December 25, 2016 at Sunrise at Gardner Park in Peabody. Born in Springfield, MA, he was the son of the late Chester Marson and Louie Day (Mallette) Greene. Raised and educated in Springfield, he was a graduate of Classical High School and continued his education at Massachusetts State College (now UMass-Amherst.) An honorably discharged World War II veteran, Mr. Greene proudly served his country as a member of U. S. Army Intelligence under Gen. Bradley. He retired from the Army Reserve in 1964, with the rank of Captain. Mr. Greene was a prominent landscape architect, preservationist and open space advocate and was elected a Fellow of his national professional organization. Widely known as the "Father of the Staten Island Greenbelt" He devoted many years to Staten Island affairs and was a leader in preserving Sailors' Snug Harbor, the Alice Austen House and Historic Richmond town. He designed several gardens for the S.I. Botanical Garden and a memorial to Staten Island Firefighters lost on 9/11 and the Memorial Garden at the Unitarian Church of Staten Island. In addition to his 40-year professional career with the leading NYC landscape architecture firm of Clarke and Rapuano, Mr. Greene represented Staten Island as a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was a long-serving officer of the New York Municipal Art Society, Staten Island Museum and his beloved Unitarian Church. A loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and friend, he was also a gentle and steadfast inspiration for protecting the Island's natural and historic treasures. Mr. Greene will be greatly missed. Mr. Greene is survived by his son, Christopher Marson Greene and his wife, Deborah Lee Kahn-Greene of Salem, MA, his daughter Elizabeth Bradford Greene and her husband, George Joseph Concepcion of Staten Island, NY, his three grandchildren, Ellen, Sadie and Christopher, his four great-grandchildren, Julian, Oliver, Brielle and Charlotte, his sisters Marcia Greene Thompson and Anne (Dight) Rounds, both of Westerly, RI and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife Mary, Mr. Greene was predeceased by his sisters, Shirley (Greene) Sandmann and Caroline (Dight) Diederich. ARRANGEMENTS: A private remembrance gathering will be held in The O'Donnell Funeral Home, 46 Washington Sq. (at Salem Common), Salem, on January 7, 2017. A public Memorial Service will be held in the Unitarian Church of Staten Island, 312 Fillmore St., Staten Island, N.Y. on April 22, 2017, (Earth Day) at 12 Noon followed by a commitment of his ashes in the Church's Memorial Garden, a reception at the Greenbelt Nature Center, 200 Nevada Ave, Staten Island, N.Y. and a leisurely walk to the Greta Moulton Gates, designed by Mr. Greene in honor of a fellow fighter for Staten Island's open spaces. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Greenbelt Conservancy. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.