Keating, Oregon
Clarence Ellsworth “Clancy” Green, 82, of Baker City, died April 6, 2004, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise.
At his request, there will be no formal service. There will be a celebration of life gathering by the pond at his ranch later this summer. The time will be announced. All friends and family will be welcomed.
Clancy was born on May 2, 1921, at Corvallis to Seth and Alice Green. He graduated from Whittier College at Whittier, Calif.
After graduation, he went into radio broadcasting and was a radio actor. He also worked at CBS as an announcer and producer.
In 1940 he married Mary Jane Bowden. They had three children. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 and received his pilot training there.
Flying became one of his greatest passions. He flew cargo and transport-type aircraft throughout World War II. His wartime duties included flights to the Philippines, and he was among the first allies to fly into Japan after the armistice. He was injured one time, but was able to successfully land his plane and cargo.
After his discharge from the service, he was hired by Pan Am Airlines where he flew the “Clipper” flying boats. His commercial career continued when he was hired by TWA Airlines on Jan. 12, 1948.
He safely flew around all over the world until his retirement on May 1, 1981. He retired as a captain on Lockheed L-1011 aircraft, having earned a reputation as an excellent pilot, and the love and respect of his peers and co-workers.
On Clancy’s birthday May 2, 1977, he married Betty Jones at Reno, Nev. They lived in California for several years until they flew up to Baker City in his private plane in search of the “perfect ranch.” It had been one of his lifelong dreams to be a cattle rancher.
They found the ranch of their dreams in the Keating Valley. They bought the John Brown Ranch in 1978 and enjoyed a beautiful fall and enjoyed riding their horses and moving their cattle. However, their first winter ranching was the winter of 1979 when the area experienced 40 days where the temperature never exceeded 10 degrees. Ranching and calving took on a whole new dimension for the tenderfoots. They stuck out the winter and gained a greater appreciation for area ranchers.
They ran 500 head of cattle and enjoyed most of the ranch work. Most of all, they came to enjoy all of their neighbors. They sold the ranch in 1981 and moved to their horse ranch on Washington Gulch Road, where Clancy developed a new passion: breeding and raising thoroughbred race horses.
Although Clancy never had a Kentucky Derby winner he did have several class horses including: Higher Flyer, Contequos, and Heza Green. He was still breeding and racing horses at the time of his death.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Green of Baker City; his daughter, Sandra Saunders of Sandy; son, Jeff Green of San Diego; Robin Radovich and her husband, George, of Escondido, Calif., Rocky Morris and her husband, Larry, of Baker City, and Steve Jones and his wife, Marilynn, of Baker City; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 16, 2004
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor