Richard Joseph Green, the youngest of 10 children, was born on November 7, 1924 to Rose and William Green in Baltimore, Maryland. While little is known about his childhood, we do know he served in the military as a medic, assisting doctors in the surgery room. Richard loved to cook, and after leaving the army, he worked as a cook in a Greek restaurant and later at the Trenton Rescue Mission.I met Richard when he came to Redeemer in 1999 as Volunteer Food Pantry Coordinator at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Trenton. A kind and gentle man, he was always there helping to unload the groceries from our car into the shopping carts, wheeling them up the ramp, down the hall and into the large closet that held the food to be bagged to be given to the hungry in Trenton. He kept detailed records on all clients, maintained an inventory of the food pantry, assembled and distributed food bags, and wrote reports. Many clients were his neighbors from Kingsbury Square apartments as well as refugee families associated with Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ. A fixture in the church office, he assisted with clerical duties such as church bulletins, annual reports and bulk mailings as well as a variety of handyman jobs. Vice President of the Tenants Board at Kingsbury, he delighted in running bingo games and befriended many of those he served.
Every day, rain or shine, Richard would ride his scooter to the church. Richard and his scooter were well known by many people in Trenton since he would often stop to chat. Each year, Richard looked forward to the picnic given by Sheriff Kevin Larkin, and he was very close to the new sheriff Jack Kemler who always had free tickets for Richard to attend the picnic. Richard had a good heart, and loved helping people; he was always looking to lend a hand to anyone young or old who needed help. Frequently, Richard visited the Millhouse nursing facility to distribute toiletry items and snacks as he shared his cheerful presence.
Since he had no living family and had never married nor had any children of his own, Richard and Jackie, the Redeemer office manager, adopted each other. He was a grandfather to her children Jessica and Anthony and a best friend to Jackie. They shared birthday and holiday dinners and Jackie would take Richard to doctor’s appointments and advocate for his medical care.
The last couple of months were difficult for Richard since he had limited use of his legs and could not walk far. He became very ill in September and spent his remaining months in and out of the hospital. He fought to stay alive, finally passing away on January 19, 2011 of respiratory failure. He has left an emptiness in the hearts of his adopted family, especially Jackie who considered him her Guardian Angel. Richard Joseph Green will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:21 (King James Version)