Christopher Webster Green

Christopher Webster Green, father, brother, storyteller, dog lover and dedicated Vermonter for nearly all of his life, died March 12 at his home in Colchester. He was 76 and carried a quiet dignity until the very end. He will be remembered by his extended family and friends as a man of uncommon sweetness and gentleness.

Chris could tell you the who pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1962, about that time as a kid when he played 54 holes in one day, what it was like listening with his father to the Floyd Patterson-Ingemar Johansson championship boxing matches on the radio, and of course, those tennis matches where he fought back, always emerging as the victor.

Chris was born on May 18, 1949 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the third son of Rev. Robert and Josephine Green. He had blue eyes, wild hair, an unruly beard, and nearly indecipherable handwriting.

He remembered things: attending peace vigils with his father in the 1960s, Halloween pranks as a teenager, and the adventures of the neighborhood gang on Old Highway in Wilton, Connecticut. Like his mother, he loved his vegetable garden and believed you should never say no to a dog. And like his mother, he could cry just hearing a song or recalling an old story.

A good afternoon was a beer on the porch, accompanied by '60s tunes on repeat, his faithful dog Mocha sitting beside him. The son of a preacher, Chris wasn't religious, but he lived with an unwavering sense of right and wrong.

Above all, Chris was proud of his two sons, Travis and Tyler, and the life they built in Vermont. They recall their dad as someone who always had time for them, particularly if it involved a game and a ball. Both sons, raised by Chris and his former wife and lifelong friend Alicia Smith, inherited his honesty and loyalty to friends and family.

As a child, he spent every summer in Dorset, chasing the cows at milking time at Charlie Smith's farm on Danby Mountain and playing endless rounds of golf and tennis at the field club. Later, he moved to Vermont after graduating from Springfield College, where he played soccer and tennis and studied history. He spent the next 50 years in the Rutland area, a life filled with raising a family, small business ventures, a strong work ethic, softball exploits, and a willingness to have a conversation with seemingly anyone.

After a grim cancer diagnosis he moved in with Travis, Lauren and Ellie on the shores of Lake Champlain in Colchester. A quiet fighter, Chris revived and discovered a satisfying and healthy life for the next five years.

Shortly before he died, he was asked what it was like to grow up in a large family. "I guess I'm a lucky guy,'' Chris responded.

He is survived by his son Tyler, wife Heidi, and their daughter Maeve; Travis and his wife Lauren, and daughter Ellie; his daughter Jennifer Minard, granddaughter Lucille, grandson Joseph and great grandson Zane; and four brothers, Bob, Dave, Jon and Rick, and their families. A memorial gathering is planned for late spring.

If you would like to remember Chris, befriend a dog, plant a garden, or sip a beverage in the late afternoon sunshine and repeat a favorite story to your loved ones. That's what Chris did.