Farewell to a Gentle Giant
Peter Darius Green July 15, 1915—July 23, 2004
By Shirley Shewmake Manning
Like hundreds of others across the county, I lost a
dear friend July 23, 2004. Peter
Darius Green, a gentle giant among men, left us to join those who had gone
before to that great Paradise.
It is hard to be sad, though one is, when thinking of
Darius Green. For he was not a sad
man, but a happy one. One who
brought joy to others just by being near him. His outgoing personality, and his gentle, patient, and kind
ways endeared him to all who knew him.
Darius had no doubt about what he would face when he left this earthly
home, as he told me on more than one occasion. He was content to be here as long as that was what was asked
of him, but he was also content to answer the call when it came. He was not a man to put off what must
be done–even dying.
For those left behind it is sad; because, we will not
have the opportunity to sit and listen to his wonderful stories of days of old,
and of his many life experiences.
We will miss seeing him aboard his trusty lawn mower, or hauling it in
the back of that old black pickup.
I once asked him how many lawns he mowed and he told me nineteen. Just recently he remarked that he had
cut back by about five. He said he
was having a little harder time catching his breath, and the spring rains that
slowed him down were not unwelcome.
Darius and I often met at Melba’s Café in Norman,
where we shared our lunch hour, or took an afternoon break. During these times he filled my head
with his stories of what Womble, (which changed its name to Norman in 1925) was
like in the old days. He mentally
drew out for me where each building set and who occupied it. He recalled the two major fires which
just about destroyed the downtown, and happened only six months apart. He joyously added a few comments about
the people, particularly his own family.
But, most of all Darius loved to tell a story about himself. Particularly when the joke was on him.
His son-in-law, Kenneth Parks, gave a good example at
the “celebration of his life” ceremony.
Brother Parks told of how Darius was driving a truck and found himself
in the timberland of New Mexico, where so many from this part of Montgomery
County went to find work. Darius
asked someone where he could park his rig and where he could get a bite to
eat. He was directed to the mess
tent where a long line had formed.
Asking what was on the menu, he was told that some of the men had taken
to the woods and had been successful in bringing back a bear and that was the
bill-of-fare for the day. Darius
inquired what bear taste like and was told that it depended on how hungry you
were. When Brother Parks asked
Darius how he liked it, Darius replied, “Well I didn’t go back for seconds.”
Darius starting driving a truck when he was only
seventeen. He drove for sixty-five
years, for a lot of different people.
He hauled just about every type of goods, but for the last ten years
before he retired he drove a refrigerated truck and worked for a broker who
sold food to the army. One of my
favorite stories was from that era.
It was about a month before Thanksgiving, and he was
making his last drop at a army base near Roswell, New Mexico. He got there about three in the
afternoon and some fifty men were on the dock playing dice. They, hardly looking up from their
game, yelled to him that he would have to come back tomorrow, it was too late
to get unloaded today.
Darius informed them that this was his last stop and
that he wanted to get unloaded so he could go home. He added that he didn’t have a full load, just a partial
load of Thanksgiving turkeys. It
did no good, he was told to, “Get out of here.”
Darius drove outside the base and called his boss in
Albuquerque and told him the situation.
He was directed by the boss to get right back up there and he would get
unloaded. Darius explained he had
already been there and they had
run him off. The boss, again, told
him to go back, they “WILL unload
the truck.”
When the men saw him coming they waved to him and
said, “Back in here.” They quickly
unloaded the truck and went to get the papers signed by an officer. When they came back one of the men
asked him why he had called President Eisenhower! He told them he didn’t, he had just called his boss. They guys told him he had gotten them
in big trouble! Darius got a big
kick out of the telling and retelling of this story and said he didn’t
think he had convinced the men
that the President himself had not called the base to set things straight.
When Darius told such a story his eyes closed, his
face crinkled in a smile that covered every inch of skin, and deep laugh lines
added to the merriment. He always
threw his head back, opened his mouth wide, crossed his hands in front of him,
and let out a belly-yahoo! You
know the old saying, “laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry
alone.” Well, Darius was a firm
believer in that, and he laughed, and you laughed with him. We shall miss that laugh each day at
the Café, and at family and school reunions. We shall miss Darius.
Darius was born the third son of ten children, to
Josephine Adeline Jeffery and Solomon Sebastian Green, (Josie & Sol for
short) on July 15, 1915. Darius
was a lover of life, but he had some very firm ideas of what was right and what
was wrong. One of the things wrong
with this country, he told me, was free handouts. He went on to tell me that he didn’t need the money he made
mowing lawns, he did it because he wanted to, because he liked it. However, he said he didn’t mow lawns
for free, (except that he offered to do so for the old Norman High School);
because, he said, everyone should shoulder responsibility and not look for free
handouts. He believed that the
more you gave free the more they would ask of you, and the less they would
contribute on their own. He had
come up the hard way, in a hard time, and he was taught to work and work hard,
asking for nothing free. Darius
was not a large physical man, but one had no doubt that he shouldered his share
of the work, and then some.
However, Darius could never be mistaken for a stingy
man. He often gave extra money to
his church, his family, and probably to others. He was not the kind to boast of anything he gave or deeds he
did, and so most will never know of his generosity. Besides work, his family was the most important to him,
after God; of course. He loved his
family, especially his girls. He
told me the family lived in California and the girls and their mother came back
to Norman for a funeral and when they got back they set in on him to move back
home. Darius told them they
couldn’t, because he couldn’t make a living there, saying they would starve to
death. His wife, Opal, told him no
one in Norman had ever starved to death and they wouldn’t either and she and
the girls wanted to go home. As
Darius said, what could he do, he was outnumbered and three females against him
was not a fair fight. I suspect
that inside he too was glad to be going home, for he loved the old town and all
the memories it held for him.
I was taught, while a student of Caddo Valley Academy
and Norman High School, that “fools names and fools faces, always seen in
public places.” It was just an old
rhyme, but Darius was one of those from the old school. He never tried to exert himself, nor to
exalt himself. He was
content to sit quietly in the background unless you came to join him and ask to
be included in his world. He saw
no reason to be loud, vile, and use bad language. He made much more of an impression on those who knew him by
his quiet demeanor and his calm and calculated way of answering a question or
telling a story.
Darius never failed to give each person he met one of
his precious smiles, not just a smile, but a smile filled with love and
understanding. A smile just for
you. His smile was never the same,
for each one he gave stayed with the receiver and the next person he met got a
nice, fresh, new one.
Darius never belittled anyone, he never engaged in
gossip. He never displayed a bad
temper. He always had time for
doing something for someone else.
He was genuinely interested in other people. He was always interested in the other person’s interests and
made them feel important. He
avoided an argument, knowing no one ever wins in an argument. He listened when another person was
talking and always let the other person share ideas and stories. Darius always tried to honestly see
things from the other person’s point of view. He always had honest praise and appreciation for fellow
workers and friends. He never
called attention to people’s mistakes, instead he talked of his own and gently
led one to a better understanding.
He was always full of encouragement to any youngster and set a fine
example for those of his own age.
He was a happy person and made everyone around him feel joy and pride
To Darius’ family I would like to say, “thank you” for
sharing this gentle giant of a man with us, your friends. I know there is little to be said that
can ease your loss, but if you can, find some comfort in knowing that your
community is also weeping over this enormous loss. We shall also join you in the joy of knowing that Darius has
reached a higher plane and shall rest in peace awaiting the coming of our
Christ when we shall all walk in peace and love.
Obituary
Peter Darius Green, was born July 15, 1915, at Womble,
Arkansas to Solomon Green and Josephine Jeffery Green. He was married to Opal Markham on
October 12, 1935. She preceded him
in death on October 28, 2000. He
was also preceded in death by grandson Jason Parks.
Darius served as a former city council member and a
member of the Norman First Assembly of God Church.
He is survived by two daughters; Joyce Weyrick of
Norman and Brenda Parks of Corpus Christi, Texas; two brothers, Finis Green of
Norman and Jeff Green of Reno, Nevada; two sisters, Mary Joyce Johnson of
Norman and Lucy Dunn of Longview, Washington; three grandchildren, Michael
Weyrick, David Weyrick, and Ashley Parks; and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Sunday, July 25, 2004 at
the Norman First Assembly of God Church with Rev. Jerry Jester and the Rev.
Kenneth T. Parks officiating.
Interment was in Mount Gilead Cemetery.
The family has asked that
memorials be made in Darius’ name to the Norman High School project. Checks may be mailed to NHPP, Inc. P.O.
Box 226, Norman, Arkansas 71960