Mary Ann Greene

Mary Ann Greene, 94, peacefully passed from this world on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. She was born in Santa Barbara on June 6, 1922 to Richard and Genevieve Pitman, and spent her childhood living on Valerio Street with her siblings Richard, Elizabeth, and John. She attended Santa Barbara High School and Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. In 1945 she married Air Force Captain Roy Frank Fowler, Jr., whom she met while volunteering at the Hoff General Hospital for servicemen during WWII. Together they had two children. Tragically, Roy Fowler, Jr. was killed in an accident in 1951 while training pilots after the war. Later she met Paul Anthony Greene, a home builder and co-founder of Motel 6 whom she married in 1956. They built a home on Miramar Beach and lived there together for 38 years until Paul’s death in 1994. Mary Ann loved to travel, ride horses, play tennis and bathe in the sun. She spent many happy years with her family and friends at the beach, family ranches, and favorite vacation spots in Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Arizona. Mary Ann was a thoughtful, giving person, and volunteered as a Pink Lady with St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara, as well as with the National Charity League and the Santa Barbara County Cow Belles. But nothing made Mary Ann happier than being surrounded by the generations of her family. She loved her view of the ocean from her living room, and in her last years spent most afternoons watching the parade of friends and beach goers pass by. It was there that she died peacefully in her sleep as she had always wanted. Nothing can soothe our sadness, other than the knowledge that she lived a long, wonderful life, full of great experiences and loving family and close friends. Mary Ann is survived by her sister-in-law Harriet Pitman; her eight children, Harry (Helen) Fowler, Roy Fowler III (Molissa Fenley), Craig Greene (Linda Borkowski), Peter Greene (Johanna Lambert), Danielle (Harold) Welch, Shane (Alejandra) Greene, Tony Greene, Michelle Greene (Todd Frederick); seven grandchildren, Aaron (Mindy) Fowler, Amanda Fowler (Bobby Barzi), Paul Greene, Patrick Greene, Liana Greene, Monique Welch, and Taylor Frederick; four great-grandsons, Pierce Barzi, Royce Barzi, Benjamin Fowler, and Christopher Fowler; nieces Karin Pitman and Lisa (Craig) Peterson, nephew Charlie (Amy) Pitman, grandniece Lauren Peterson and grandnephew Caden Pitman. All are welcome to attend a celebration of Mary Ann’s life on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, 1300 E. Valley Road, Santa Barbara, CA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, Santa Barbara, and Catholic Charities of Santa Barbara County.