Apr. 27, 1954 - Jan. 08, 2016
In his 61 years, Michael Stuart Greene proved that the sum of a life is so much greater than one. He leaves a legacy of communities aided by his work as a fire chief and visionary creator of emergency medical services systems, people aided by his work as a paramedic, his family, and a universe of lifelong friends. His greatest joys were his wife Barbara, his sons Collin and Gavin, and his new daughter-in-law, Collin’s wife Caity, followed closely by his love for his life’s work in fire and emergency management, his passion for selling, buying and trading cars, and his devotion to root beer. Michael graduated from Carson High School in 1972, and after attending college in San Diego, became one of the first paramedics in northern Nevada. In 1981, he was the sole survivor of an air ambulance crash, and crawled miles through a snowstorm with a broken back and ribs to get help. He moved to Olympia, Washington, in 1983 and became a paramedic with the Olympia Fire Department. Early on, he was paired with a paramedic named Barbara - and that partnership become lifelong. Michael and Barbara were married on September 15, 1984. From 1984-1994, Michael owned an EMS consulting and training company. He worked as a paramedic with the Tumwater Fire Department from 1985 until he left in 1991 to become assistant fire chief and then fire chief in Washington’s Mason County Fire District 2. During his tenure as chief, the department won six state awards and one national award for management excellence. In 2007 he became fire chief in Sierra Fire Protection District in Reno, Nevada. In 2011, he retired and he and Barbara settled in Tonasket that November. When the community needed him, he answered the call and came out of retirement to serve as the Tonasket EMS director. He also continued to serve as a consultant and mentor to many. Michael was preceded in death by his father, Bernard F. Greene, and leaves behind his mother Muriel Margolin Keehn, wife Barbara, son and daughter-in-law Collin and Caity Greene, son Gavin Greene, sister and brother-in-law Andrea and Scott Rutledge, brother and sister-in-law Jonathan and Marion Greene, sister-in-law and husband Yvonne and George Short-Blakey, two nieces, three nephews, and his beloved dog Tommy. The family is planning a memorial service in Tonasket, Washington at Tonasket High School on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2:00 pm. This spring, the family will host a celebration of Michael’s life in his hometown of Carson City, Nevada. To honor Michael, please install an additional smoke detector for yourself or a neighbor and tell your friends and family that you love them. Donations in his memory can be made to Okanogan County Fire District #4 (PO Box 79, Tonasket, WA 98855). www.berghfuneralservice.com
