Hubert Joseph Greene

Hubert Joseph Greene, age 92, of Bel Air, MD, passed away on December 15, 2011 at his home. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he was the son of the late Frank Greene and Helen McNamara Ware.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Mr. Greene served during WWII from 1940 to 1944. In February 1941, Mr. Greene's supply ship, the USS Pollux AKS-2, and a convoy of two destroyers simultaneously struck the rock cliffs on the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland during a severe storm. The Pollux and the destroyer USS Truxton, broke up almost immediately and later sank. Mr. Greene and the other survivors from the Pollux managed to cling to the side of the cliff for 33 hours until a few hearty men from the fishing village of Lawn arrived to rescue them. Just 140 of the crew survived; 93 perished. Of the survivors only about five are alive today. Mr. Greene then went on to serve on the destroyer USS Jenkins DD-447 in the Casablanca campaign and then in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.

Following the war, Mr. Greene settled in Pleasantville, NY where he was a member of the Pleasantville Auxiliary Police and coached Little League for many years. He sold heavy equipment for CV Pierce of Pleasantville and then for Westchester Ford Tractor, Inc, Golden's Bridge, NY.

Mr. Greene is survived by his wife, Holly Garrison Greene of Bel Air, MD; son, Bruce M. Greene of Pleasantville, NY; daughter Nancy Greene Cerio, PhD of Bel Air, MD; step daughter, Kimberly Roberts of Darlington, MD; grandchildren, Kathi O'Toole Sheridan of Glastonbury, CT, Elizabeth Victoria Kolodiy of Maplewood, NJ, Donald Greene Cerio and Patrick Greene Cerio of Bel Air; and two great grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Cecelia O'Toole Greene, and a brother, Warren R. Ward.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to The United States Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 123, Washington, DC 20004-2608.