Wasco-Hood River County OR Archives Obituaries.....McGreer, Thomas Henry (Hank) January 25, 2004
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com March 24, 2006, 7:23 pm

The Dalles Chronicle, January 27, 2004
     Thomas Henry (Hank) McGreer, 94 died Jan. 25, 2004. A Hood River resident 
since 1983, he was an active member of the community . 
     The eldest of five siblings, McGreer was born Jan. 5, 1910 in Cedaredge, 
Colo. to Hugh Dimond McGreer and Irene Kruse McGreer. 
     At age three he moved with his family to Fossil, where his grandfather 
Thomas Henry McGreer had forged ground on the new family home. 
As a child, he worked alongside the family on the ranch, and traveled by 
horseback to the Clarno School. He later attended high school at Shaniko and 
Tygh Valley. 
     He left the ranch in 1929 to attend The Milwaukee School of Engineering 
in Wisconsin and completed his engineering degree in three years.
     While in college, he met his wife Ruth at a Milwaukee hotel where they 
were both employed. They were married Sept. 1, 1933 and drove to Oregon, 
camping along the way. 
     In 1940, they moved to Chicago so McGreer could complete his graduate 
work.
     He worked as an engineer for the Idaho Power Company, Westinghouse, 
Argonne National Laboratory, Harza Engineering and Fermi National Laboratory. 
     In 1950, he moved with his family to Wheaton, Ill. where he built his 
family's home. His career later presented him with an opportunity to work 
overseas, where he supervised the design of transmission systems to provide 
electricity for Pakistan and Afghanistan.
     His work later took him to Cairo, Egypt to work on the Aswan Dam. He 
retired in 1980 and returned to Oregon, taking up residence in Hood River. Two 
years later, at age 73, he built his retirement home on Cherry Drive.
     A dedicated humanitarian, he was involved in many social causes. He was 
an active member of the Southside Congregational Church (Chicago), First 
Presbyterian Church (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Elmhurst Presbyterian Church 
(Elmhurst Ill.). 
     In Hood River, he was a member of Riverside Community Church and a member 
of the Hood River Lions for more than twenty years. 
Passionate about science and mathematics, he embraced new technologies and 
ideas - even using a personal computer and Internet into his 90's. 
     He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Ruth Mappes McGreer; sister, 
Helen McGreer Lewis, of Seattle; son, Thomas Henry McGreer and his wife Vicki, 
of Marietta, Ga.; daughters, Mary McGreer Olson and her husband Robert, of 
Hood River, Irene McGreer Reidy, of Ridgewood, NJ; granddaughters, Jennifer 
Olson, Portland, and Meredith Olson, San Francisco; grandson Wesley Reidy, 
Bloomington, Ind.
     A visitation will be held at Anderson Tribute Center in Hood River on 
Friday, Jan. 30 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
     The funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 31 at 11:30 a.m. at the Antelope 
Community Church in Antelope.
     Donations may be made to the Hood River Chapter of the Lions Foundation.


Additional Comments:
Written permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, 
Oregon, Dan Spatz, Editor (e-mail dated 3/7/2006).


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/wasco/obits/m/mcgreer533gob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/

File size: 3.6 Kb