In years past, Captain George Green of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol participated in ceremonies honoring members of the law enforcement community who have passed on, Saturday his colleagues did the same for him. Green died Tuesday from injuries he sustained when his patrol car crashed into a dump truck the day before in Sapulpa.
“George Green was a great man,” Retired OHP Lieutenant Ron Davis said.
Colleagues knew him as Captain Green. Friends knew him as George. For two sons, he'll always be dad, and for one woman he’ll always be the man she loved and who knew how to make her laugh.
“Troopers are sometimes seen as rough and tough and not giving much to emotion or sentiment, but with his family he was one of Susan’s boys,” Davis said.
Friends said George loved being a prankster, stories of workplace hysterics and family hijinks filled much of Saturday’s service.
“They just had fun together, George enjoyed his family,” Davis told the large crowd.
George also loved his career, and knew the risks of the job. Colleagues recalled him mentoring rookie troopers who were learning the ropes.
“31 years of law enforcement experience, within the highway patrol, gave him a lot of experience, and he brought a lot to the table,” OHP Lieutenant George Brown said.
He was a leader, who fellow troopers said won’t be forgotten.
“If we had a command decision, if we were making a policy change he was a guy we could go to because he had the ability to think problems through, he made the impossible possible,” Brown told FOX23.
Images of green's life as a trooper, father, husband and outdoorsman flashed on the screen at Olivet Baptist church, and those watching knew it was goodbye.
“Had George never been a part of our lives, we wouldn't now feel the emptiness of that George shaped whole in our hearts,” Davis said.
To honor Captain Green's memory the family is asking for memorial donations to be made to the Oklahoma State Troopers scholarship Fund.
Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 128, Poteau, OK 74953-0128.
OHP says the investigation into the crash that killed Captain Green is pending. It could take three to four weeks before we know who was at fault.
Green’s passing was OHP’s first line of duty death since 2006.
