Gloria W. Green

Gloria Green-Hales, whose interest in the environment began with a reading of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, died Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at the Kingston Residence in Perrysburg. She was 90. Ms. Green-Hales took her responsibility as a citizen seriously and was politically active throughout her life. She was a board member of the Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association and the Friends of Wood County Parks Board, Chair of the League of Women Voters of the Perrysburg Area, and a member of the LWV Lake Erie Basin, Great Lakes United, the New Century Club and more. Her involvement against the polluting influence of factory farms and for clean water in Lake Erie would send her to represent Lake Erie and the people who lived around it on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. In 2007 at the age of 79, she was awarded the Toledo-Lucas County League of Women Voters Environmental Award. As Chair of the Natural Resources Clean Water Committee of the League of Women Voters of the Perrysburg Area, Ms. Green-Hales pulled no punches when it came to making her opinions known on the potential polluting effects of factory farms on our water supply. In March of 2006, The Toledo Blade published her letter to the editor on the subject. Ms. Green-Hales wrote: “Water is our basic beverage, not milk, and clean water, [is] the issue. If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention. “ Born Gloria May Walker on September 16, 1927 in Haskins, Ohio to George and Velma (nee Haskins) Walker, she was a 1945 graduate of Haskins High School (now Otsego). She is a descendent of Whitcomb Haskins, one of the early settlers of Waterville, Ohio; the Liberty Haskins House, a property on the Federal Register of Historic Places, is named for his son. Early in her career, she served as Executive Assistant to Ira Brought, a former FBI agent with offices in the Spitzer Building, and at Owens-Illinois as a secretary in the area of labor relations and market research. She was the youngest member of the Toledo Chapter of Business and Professional Women (BPW) and held leadership roles in this national association for professional working women in 1962, a time when the women’s movement was gaining momentum nationally. She and the late Dr. Garland Y. Green married on July 7, 1962. Together they raised two children and ran his podiatry practice in Maumee. They enjoyed spending time on their sailboat, Mehitabel, as members of the Erie Power Squadron and the North Cape Yacht Club in LaSalle, Michigan. They sailed throughout the Caribbean and travelled across Europe. He died in January 1995. She spent much of her time travelling extensively throughout Europe. She had an avid interest in gardening and was a long-time member of the Friendly Garden Club in Haskins, Ohio and Wood County. A lover of classical and popular music, especially the works of Rodgers & Hammerstein, she had a beautiful singing voice. Most importantly, she loved her family and friends, dearly. She maintained friendships spanning over 70 years with her Haskins High School classmates – Beverly Seeman, Neva Porter, Margaret Bundy, Phyllis Mauerhan, and Sis Muir – a group known as the “Six Pack.” Her love for young children made her an extraordinary grandmother. For years she hosted “Camp Grandma,” a period of weeks throughout the summer, during which she would plan daily activities that allowed the children to build life-long friendships and a love for the outdoors. In 2004, she married Walter C. Hales Jr., bringing more grandchildren and family into the fold. They enjoyed travelling across the country, attending concerts at the Peristyle, and remaining politically active in various causes. They enjoyed many memorable times together and with family, and reveled in their late-life companionship. She is survived by her husband, Walter C. Hales Jr., daughter, Kerry Green Zobor (Attila); David Green (Carrie), Ellen Green (Polly), Laura Zobor, Nicholas Zobor, nephew Tim Enright (Susan) of Bowling Green, and nieces Kathy Valentine of Whitehouse, and Sarah Enright of Pemberville. Other family members include Janet Hales (Gary Miesle), Walter J. Hales (Karen), grandchildren and great grandchild. She is pre-deceased by her son, Rev. Dr. Patrick G. Green, who died in 1994, and infant daughter, Jacquelyn Sue Heiman who died in 1951. Family and friends are invited to gather at Witzler-Shank Funeral Home, 222 E. South Boundary Street, Perrysburg (419-874-3133) on Saturday, June 30, 2018 beginning at 3:00 p.m., where remembrances and sharing will take place at 4 p.m. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the League of Women Voters of the Perrysburg Area, Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association, or the Ohio Environmental Council.