Robert Judson Greene

Robert Judson Greene

1931-2026

Bob Greene passed away on February 24, 2026 at his home in Spring Mills PA, just days after his 95th birthday.

Bob was born in the depths of the Great Depression on February 20, 1931 in Englewood NJ, the son of Harold M. and Helen (Eichberg) Greene,  the longed for boy-child which followed the births of two sisters, Lois and Jeri. As a lad Bob was an avid collector and restorer of Model T Fords. That hobby and skills set remained with him well into adulthood when he moved on to vintage Mercedes-Benze restoration.

Bob earned a BS degree from Denison University, followed by a MS in psychology from Ohio University. He held various positions in the behavioral sciences in institutions in OH, NY, NJ, and PA. A specialist in behavior modification, Bob published widely in the field. During those years he purchased a farm in Bucks County PA, where he raised three sons from a first marriage, John (deceased), Kenneth, and Robert II.

In 1973 Bob met Leslie Ellen Brown on an eleven-day wilderness trail ride in the Gros Ventre Range of WY. They married two years later and shared a love of hiking, camping, cross country skiing, antiques, and American history. In October 2025 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

In 1978 Bob began graduate studies at Colorado State University to pursue an advanced degree in parks and recreation administration, where his thesis research drew on his background in operant conditioning, this time with campground nuisance bears. Bob held numerous posts in historic interpretation and administration at sites as diverse as Historic Fort Scott in KS and the Old State Capital, Acadian Village, Old Arsenal Museum, and Plaquemine Locks, all located in LA.

In the next phase of his life Bob turned to the restoration of historic homes in PA, having toiled away on an 18th-century stone house in Chester County, a 19th-century iron master’s home in Beaver County, and since 2011 a mid 19th-century farm in Centre County's Georges Valley. In this last dwelling nothing pleased Bob more than clearing woodland hiking trails, filling a large storage room with firewood, or driving his tractor.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Bob at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County, State College, at a later date.