Obituary of Opal Margarite Greene

Opal passed away February 7, 2014 in Lacey, Washington, at age 91, following a long illness. She was born in San Antonio, Texas to Rufus Lee and Hazel Clarence (Mayfield) Allen on August 15, 1922. Opal’s family made a living picking cotton in Texas and she was in the fields picking when she was five years old. The entire family lived in a homemade camper-trailer that her father built. It was a hard life but she was resilient. Opal loved her family, and was very close with her siblings. Looking for work, they migrated as a clan from Texas to Arizona, then to the Spokane, Washington area in the 40s. Opal joined the Women’s Army Corp (WAC) in 1944 and was stationed at Fort Winfield Scott in San Francisco, California. It was there she met and married Harold E. Greene. They had three daughters, Shannon, Kathleen, and Susan. Harold passed away in 1966 at the age of 42. After she was widowed and her girls were out of the home, Opal lived the life of a snowbird. She and her companion, Jack Holt, began traveling south to spend winters in the Arizona desert in the early 1970s. Eventually, her travel trailer became her home. She traveled and lived in a bumper-pull trailer approximately 40 years. She enjoyed her nomadic ways and made many friends during her travels. Opal loved the Arizona desert. She and Jack dry-panned for gold many years. Opal hauled water and used a generator for years. Later she upgraded to a couple of solar panels with the help of her son-in-law, Charles Ball. She was very proud of her “solar power” and not having to waste gas running the generator. Wherever she was camped, she would display her latest rock collection on her doorstep. She always made a pretty outdoor rock fire pit and she and her other snowbird friends would sit outside at night and enjoy the stars and tell stories. No one could cook over an open fire like Opal. An avid gardener, when she was in one place for any length of time, you can be sure she would have a beautiful garden that supplied her campmates with plenty of fresh produce. Opal was not wasteful and used what she could as long as it worked. She drove a 1968 Ford 250 truck for 28 years. Opal was beautiful and loved to look nice but she was also an untraditional female. She was never afraid of work and could tackle almost anything. She framed a small barn for her daughters’ horses when they were teenagers. She built a beautiful brick surround for a Franklin fireplace for her middle daughter. When she was in her 70s she got up on the roof of her daughter’s mobile home and applied the winter sealant for a birthday present. Opal and Jack used to stripe parking lots and build and sell gold sluice boxes. Opal had a keen interest in and love of nature. Walking was one of her hobbies and she prided herself on walking daily until her health limited her. She collected rocks wherever she walked during her travels. She loved the plants and animal life that she observed and learned everything she could about whatever captured her interest. She was an avid fisherwoman and fished many of the lakes and rivers in Washington. She loved little glass birds and had a large collection. She also collected campaign buttons (Democrat only!). Opal had a gift for appreciating the small things in life. She delighted in observing birds and animals and wild places. Opal was witty and told many entertaining stories and dearly loved to laugh. She was an amazing, independent woman who will be terribly missed. Opal is survived by her longtime companion, Jack Holt, whom she met in the 1960’s; daughters, Shannon Opal Greene of Seattle, Washington; Kathleen Ann Greene of Tupelo, Mississippi; and Susan Marie Greene of Lacey, Washington; brother, Harley Allen of Roseville, California; sister, Lila Mae Bridge of Los Fresnos, Texas; four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sisters, Willie Lee Tubbs and Hazel Mary Dixon; father, Rufus Lee Allen; and mother, Hazel Clarence Mayfield Allen. Her 98 year old sister, Cleora LillianTubbs, passed away just two weeks following Opal’s passing. Please leave memories of Opal or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.