Loren Keith “Dusty” Greene

Loren Keith "Dusty" Greene, age 96, passed away at Brewster Health Center in Topeka on July 11, 2019. Dusty was born in Nortonville, Kansas on December 30, 1922.  He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Doris Montgomery Greene. Dusty and Doris have three children in Topeka: Kelly Neske (Steve), Kandis Barker (Jerry), and Russell T. Greene. They have six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Ethel Bond and Leslie Judson Greene, and his siblings, Irene Ethridge, Geraldine  Hess, and Donald, Ike, Wayne and Conrad E. Greene.

Dusty was part of the greatest generation. He grew up in Valley Falls during the great depression. At the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and served aboard the USS Torchwood during World War II. He toured the South Pacific and returned to Valley Falls when the war concluded.

Dusty married Doris Montgomery on Valentine's Day in 1948. They spent the next few years traveling and enjoying time with each other. They moved from Valley Falls to Topeka where Dusty studied at Clark's Business School and started their family. Kelly Marie was the first child, followed by Kandis Kae, then Russell (Rusty) Tedric. Each of their children gave them two grandchildren for a total of 6. Large family gatherings were common. Dusty loved laughter. He was very animated and kept the family gatherings fun for all ages. He particularly got a lot of pleasure from teasing Doris.  As the grandchildren matured, Dusty and Doris' family expanded to seven great-grandchildren.

Over the years, Dusty was involved in organizations including, Topeka Jaycees, Cosmopolitan Club, Downtown Topeka Inc., and the Topeka Chamber of Commerce. He was heavily involved in Countryside Methodist Church. Dusty was a proud member of the business community in Topeka. His focus was in publications. He was a writer for an industrial trade magazine for many years. Then he switched from buying printing to selling printing. His final and most successful business venture was the Copy Center of Topeka. Dusty owned and operated Copy Center for nearly 20 years. He was an important part of the downtown business community. His success was driven by trust, honesty, friendship, and a desire to serve the customer.

The twilight years of his life were spent at Brewster Place. He and Doris moved to independent living where they made a new set of friends. Dusty loved going to meals and engaging with his new friends. It was a lively group anxious to share stories and hear new ones too.  Unfortunately, Dusty began suffering the effects of dementia. He moved into the Brewster Health Center, where again, he made a whole new set of friends. Some of these new friends were other residents that shared many of the same challenges as Dusty. Some of these new friends were members of the staff. Doris was always close by and still had many opportunities to be teased by Dusty during her visits.

Dusty began a rapid decline and was placed in Hospice Care around the first part of July. His family will be eternally grateful to the staff at Brewster and Great Lakes Hospice for their compassionate, competent, and respectful care. Dusty passed away peacefully shortly after noon on July 11 attended by family.

A memorial service will be held on July 25 at 2:30 PM. The location of the service is Brewster Place 1205 SW 29th St. in the Kling Activity Center located in the main building.