Joseph Raymond Matthew Greff

Joseph Raymond Matthew Greff (72) was born October 30, 1952, in Akron, Ohio and passed away September 22, 2025, in Kingwood, Texas. He is preceded by his parents Richard Marion & Genevieve Mary Greff, and brother Ronald Greff.

Joseph lived most of his life in Houston, working in sales for office furniture where he won awards and built relationships that lasted a lifetime.

Joseph was an outgoing, passionate man who adored cars, NASA, music, and above all, Notre Dame football. But even as he loved his Fighting Irish, he loved his children more: on game days, he would hang up a University of Alabama flag and put on a Texas A&M shirt—his children's schools—as an act of love.

More than anything else, Joseph was a family man. He always remembered to show his wife, Selene, how much he loved her; he never once neglected to give her a kiss first thing when he walked through the door every day when he got home. He was always so eager to support his children, and he seized every opportunity to coach their sports events. As a proud dad, he attended every one of his eldest son's football games, both home and away. He would do the same for his younger son, even when he was only playing in the band. And he happily took his daughter to her dance recitals, sometimes even practicing with her, and even performing out on the field with her dance team.

He also shared his passions with them. As a child, Joseph developed a life-long interest in all things aerospace when his father helped develop the B-47 airplane for Boeing and later worked on the Apollo program for NASA. As an adult, Joseph never failed to find wonder in man's mechanical inventions. Even 25 years after the International Space Station first went into orbit, Joseph would regularly step outside to peer up into the sky when the ISS was passing overhead, tracking its movements online. He loved tinkering with his cars, and he passed on his knowledge to his children, teaching them how to fix cars and do electrical work. His enthusiasm for the things he loved was infectious. He could talk to people about rockets for hours.

Joseph was a joyful man. He relished a good Polish meal—proud, as always, of his heritage—and took his children to jazz bars on weekends to teach them to appreciate the music. His artistic taste wasn't narrow: he loved classical music and classic rock, as well as Broadway shows, with particular fondness for Phantom of the Opera. He relished the freedom of the road and would take long, 24-hour drives, just for the fun of being behind the wheel. He didn't always have time to travel—familial obligations came first, always—but when he was able to wrangle his family, he loved vacations, for the quality time it gave him with his loved ones. He recorded every minute of those vacations on a camcorder, just as he recorded every family get-together. He wanted to live in those moments forever.

Joseph never met a stranger. Going to the grocery store with Joseph could be a protracted affair, because he knew every employee's name, where they had gone to school, and how many children they had. He went through life smiling at people, talking to them about their lives and their passions. Joseph made the world a warmer place.

Joseph is survived by his wife Selene Moira Greff of 43 years of marriage, sons Andrew John Greff, Matthew Thomas Greff, daughter Moira Elizabeth Savage & husband Nicholas Logan Savage, brothers Richard Greff, Reginald Greff, sisters Vivian Horrocks, Jacquelyn Vance, and grandchildren Emilia Greff and Thomas Greff.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Thomas Aquinas High School.