Deacon John “Johnny” Greene passed away peacefully on May 22, 2018. He was born on August 24, 1929 to the late George and Virginia Green in Sheldon, South Carolina in Beaufort County. At nine months old, he was adopted by Henry and Beatrice Lockwood. He often told stories about how proud he was that his father, Henry Lockwood, was “the A-1 carpenter in all of Beaufort County.”
Deacon John was educated in Sheldon, South Carolina and upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy. After serving in the Navy for one year, he relocated to White Plains, NY, where he lived with his Uncle Andrew. He met and married his beloved wife of 65 years, Christine Robinson. From this union, six children were born. John was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 during the Korean War and was honorably discharged after serving two years. Upon returning to New York, he joined Bethel Baptist Church and was ordained as a deacon on December 7, 1966 under Rev. Thomas H. Slater. He served as Chairman of the Deacon Ministries for a number of years and was one of the original members of Prayer Meeting & Bible Study where he was instrumental in keeping the meetings going until he became ill. He was also a member of the Senior Usher Board, the Chancel Choir and the Male Chorus, which he loved directing. He was a faithful servant who rarely missed Sunday service.
His love for fashion stood out to all who knew him.
John was employed by White Plains Hospital, Grasslands Hospital, Larson Ford and General Motors, from which he retired in March of 1993. During his retirement, he loved watching baseball (preferably the New York Mets), football, boxing, Westerns, The Andy Griffith Show and M*A*S*H on television as well as reading the Bible. When he became too ill to attend church, he would watch The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast from morning until bedtime.
He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters Shirley Johnson (Matthew), Joan Cynthia Greene and Virginia Lindsay; his son John E. Greene; his granddaughters Onja Overby (Micah), Dornella Johnson and Janae Walker; his grandson Corey Lindsay; his great-granddaughter Toni Greene; his great-grandson, Matthew Perez; and his sister, Ruby Green (Louis).
Deacon John was predeceased by his parents; his wife, Christine; his daughters Ruby Melissa and Margaret; his brothers Nehemiah, Ashley, George, Alfred, Herbert, Edward and Mathew (Sam); his sisters Bertha and Thelma; and his son-in-law, Matthew Johnson.
The Entire Staff of Lee's Funeral Home, LLC respects that the Greene family entrusted the care of their loved one to us, and that they value the level of service & attention our funeral home provides. We are honored, in turn, to provide comfort, assistance and service to the Greene family during their time of bereavement.
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