Lucia Greene

1929 - 2020

Lucia Greene

Asheville - Lucia Greene joined the ranks of angels this weekend at the age of 90. She passed away peacefully at Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community on the evening of Saturday, April 18th, 2020. She was surrounded by her family whom she loved so deeply and the amazing caregivers at Deerfield, where she had been a beloved resident for the past two years.

Lucia was born on June 4, 1929 as Margaret "Lucia" Brown to the late Burder and Mildred Brown. She was their only child. She spent her childhood in the North Asheville community and eventually moved to West Asheville. She spent her education in the Asheville City School system and graduated from Lee Edwards High School. She was a lifelong member of Calvary Baptist Church.

In 1948, she married the love of her life, the late Paul P. Greene. They were married for 63 years before he joined church triumphant in 2011. They had a beautiful life together - she was a loving and dedicated wife. She was a devoted mother to her children, Michael Greene and wife Eva, and Paula (Greene) Webb and husband Steve. She was especially proud of her three grandchildren Christopher Webb and wife Jennifer of Park City, Utah; Paul Webb and wife Jessica of Seattle, Washington; and Eva-Michelle (Greene) Spicer and husband Elliott of Asheville. Her great-grandson, Caleb Webb, brought so much joy to her life when he would come to visit. The caregivers who were with her in her final years also became family. She was so blessed to have Amanda Davis, Mimi Stroupe and Deanna Mills by her side at Deerfield these past few years. Her family was her greatest pride and joy!

Lucia was a lifelong hard worker. She worked as an operator at the Southern Bell telephone company, a bookkeeper and personal assistant at Matthews Ford, and after her children were in school she worked alongside her husband at Wick and Greene Jewelers. Together, Lucia and Paul grew the business to become one of the premier jewelers in the country. She was delighted to see the company transform into Spicer Greene Jewelers when her granddaughter and grandson-in-law purchased the company and became the fourth generation of the Asheville institution.

Lucia was a great philanthropist and animal lover - she would often tell family that she loved them but that she REALLY loved her dogs! She supported many causes benefiting Calvary Baptist Church, local animal agencies and her beloved Asheville. She contributed a tremendous amount to the Asheville she called home: together with Paul and son Michael, she was a pioneer of the revitalization of downtown Asheville in the 1980s with the construction of Wick and Greene Plaza.

Above all, Lucia was a devoted wife to Paul, and a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She taught everyone she knew compassion, humility, generosity, perseverance and love. She will be missed, but her sweet and feisty spirit will forever be a part of everyone who knew her.

Due to the current healthcare crises, a very intimate graveside family service will be held and a celebration of Lucia's long and full life will be held at a later date.

A charitable endowment has been established in their name to help young entrepreneurs like Paul and Lucia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Paul and Lucia Greene Charitable Endowment at the Community Foundation of WNC, 4 Vanderbilt Park Dr, Asheville, NC 28803. Memorials may also be made to Calvary Baptist Church, 531 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC 28806; Memory Care Asheville, 100 Far Horizons Lane, Asheville NC, 28803; or to the Asheville Humane Society 16 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806.

The online memorial is available at www.grocefuneralhome.com.