Tribute

It is with sadness that the family of Anthony (Tony) Harold Green announce his passing on July 20, 2022, at the age of 68 years. Tony was born on August 7, 1953, in Duncan, and lived his entire life in Lake Cowichan, at Greendale, the family home founded by his grandfather Frank Green (circa 1887).

He will be lovingly remembered by his partner Curtis of 24 years, daughter Jennal, sister Kathy, nephew Gaelen, niece Bronwen, great-nephew Owen and great-niece Myfanwy, and his many close friends, both nearby and around the world. Tony was predeceased by his mother Yvonne in 2002, and his father Trevor in 2009.

Tony grew up on the beautiful Cowichan River in an idyllic setting, where he freely explored the creek, the woods, the river and the fields where he and his friends sat around bonfires and roasted potatoes. He loved to swim, ride his horse Misty, fly fish and make forts in old outbuildings. He worked hard at his paper route, and his part-time high school job at the Overwaitea led to full time employment. However, Tony longed to be outdoors, and soon began his career in the logging industry.

Initially Tony worked in logging camps on northern Vancouver Island, but eventually bought his own truck and worked areas close to home until his retirement in 2017.

In his early 20s Tony built a log house on a family-owned property near Greendale where he hosted many guests and parties. After several years a property adjacent to Greendale, which had once been owned by his grandfather, came up for sale. Eager to live close to the river again, Tony sold his log house, and bought the property, which consisted of a few acres and two houses. Tony lived in the larger one while he renovated the cabin into a modern and comfortable home. He lived there with his partner, Curtis, until his grandparents’ old home was beyond repair. It was demolished, and in its place he and Curtis designed an elegant home on the footprint of the ancestral home, using many of the same architectural features, such as a full-length verandah overlooking the river, and bedrooms under the eaves on the second floor. Tony also bought back another section of the original Greendale, also on the river, and renovated the existing buildings into charming and rustic cabins, which – under Curtis’s management – became a successful resort.

Tony first travelled to England and the Mediterranean in his mid-teens, at the invitation of an elderly relative. This whetted his appetite for further travel, and a few years later he and a friend embarked on a tour of Europe and Northern Africa. Following this he travelled extensively in Mexico and Central America, particularly Costa Rica, where he bought a second home. He and Curtis spend many lengthy vacations there, travelling to neighbouring countries at the same time and making new friends that would come to visit them at Greendale.

Unfortunately, Tony had a genetic pre-disposition for addiction, and his teenage drinking quickly turned into alcoholism. Despite this debilitating illness, Tony never missed a day of work, and he also worked hard making improvements to Greendale, restoring the old barn, the old horse carriage that his grandfather drove, and opening the property to the public on the 117^th anniversary.

Tony had a great passion for his 2 restored 1951 Studebaker antique cars, and every year planted and maintained a spectacular vegetable garden in the same location that his father and grandfather had tended before him. He had great love and compassion for all animals, and he always had cats and a series of dogs to which he was devoted. He enjoyed watching birds at feeders as he sat on the verandah, reading newspapers from cover to cover. During his early travels he wrote weekly accounts of his adventures, which were published in the local newspaper.

Tony became a father to Jennal at age 41 and jointly raised her with Jennal’s mother Janet. During the tender years of Jennal’s life he entered rehab and was sober for 3 ½ years; during this time, he fully acknowledged his sexual identity, and soon after met his long-time partner and the love of his life, Curtis. Jennal and Curtis have a lot of joyful memories with Dad: logging truck rides, Studebaker car rides, drifts down the Cowichan River, and just hanging out at Greendale, where life itself was full of guests coming and going, as the family played host to visitors from around the world.

Starting in his early twenties Tony had a logging truck accident and was hospitalized for 7 weeks, recovering from broken bones and a concussion. Over the following decades he suffered from many more concussions, leaving him unable to cope with the alcoholism that plagued his mind. Despite many attempts to stop, complications from alcoholism got the best of him. July 20 at 3:35pm, with his partner Curtis at his side, he took his last breath at home, where he had spent his whole life.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Greendale, 8012 Greendale Road, Saturday September 10, 2022 at 2:00pm. When parking for the event, please use our 8032 driveway.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Tony to:

The Kaatza Historical Society, Lake Cowichan, B.C.