Jimmie Walker Greene, one of McCreary County’s most prominent and respected sons, passed away Thursday, February 16, 2107 after a long and distinguished life of honorable service to God, our nation, our commonwealth and our county. He was 88.
Funeral services were held Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 1:00 pm at the Walkers Chapel Baptist Church with Bro. Darren Kidd officiating. Burial was in the Walkers Chapel Cemetery.
Born May 21, 1928 in Detroit, Michigan, to Rease Greene and Pearl Walker Greene, his family returned to Parker’s Lake when Jimmie was only 2 months old. He grew up especially close to his maternal grandfather, P. P. Walker, also a prominent resident of McCreary County. Jimmie graduated from McCreary County High School in 1946, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps; later know as the US Air Force. His first assignment was in Japan during the Allied Occupation, he later served in Korea and Viet-Nam, where he flew recon, weather observation, and cargo missions. Jimmie retired from the Air Force in 1971, as a master sergeant with 24 years of service. Upon his retirement he came home to McCreary County, and served as postmaster at Honeybee until the post office closed in 1977. Also in 197, he married Lois Renfro and they raised their family in his beloved Parkers Lake. Jimmie was an active member of the Walkers Chapel Baptist Church, where he had taught Sunday School and had served as Sunday School Superintendent.
Jimmie entered the political arena in 1978 by visiting with almost every household in McCreary County, talking with and listening to the people he met as to what they wanted to see their local government doing for them. His campaign was successful and he became McCreary County’s first judge executive. A position he would hold for a total of 17 years. Two of his priorities were better roads and new bridges in the more remote areas and clean water for every household.
Jimmie was also known as an author. He wrote a newspaper column, The Light Side of Parker’s Lake, for many years and also published, “Come Fly With Me to Honeybee”, and his memoir “Bridge Builder”, a look back at his first term in office. He also penned the forward to the official McCreary County Centennial Commission’s “A balance of Providence -Reflections of McCreary’s County’s Past”.
Upon retiring from the judge’s office, Jimmie remained active in service to the community. He served as president of the McCreary County Chamber of Commerce, commander of the Charles Moore VFW Post 5127, in Whitley City, was a lifetime member of the Kinne-Slaven Post 115 of the American Legion, a member of the Korean War Veterans Association, the Disabled Veterans Association, and remained active in local Republican politics.
Survivors include his wife, Lois Greene, of Parkers Lake, Kentucky, sons, Patrick Walker Green of Whitley City, Kentucky and Jimmie W. Greene II “Bevo” and his wife, Pat, of Stearns, Kentucky, stepchildren, Dixie Hamblin and her husband, David, of Corbin, Kentucky and Wally Disney and his wife, Angie, of Gray, Kentucky, a sister, Bobbie Kennedy of Sidney, Ohio, twelve grandchildren, and twenty great grandchildren.
Few people leave the positive footprint in their community as did Jimmie Greene. He will be fondly remembered and sadly missed.
Hickman-Strunk Funeral Home served the family of Judge Jimmie W. Greene.