Lyle Wayne Green Sr.

Lyle Wayne Green Sr, 81, passed away Friday, February 21, 2025 in Grand Junction, Colorado with his wife of 60 years, Anita or “Love” as he so affectionately called her by his side. Wayne was a longtime resident of Rifle, Colorado where he and Anita raised their seven children; Lyle Wayne Green Jr, Curtis Green, Victoria Hylton, Kimberley Green, Brenda Green, Monica Green, and Anthony (Tony) Green.
Wayne was born in Canon City, Colorado to Lyle and Ila Green. The family moved to Willow Springs Missouri, where he spent his formative years helping with the family farm and attending public school. He played on the school baseball team as a third baseman. He would say that he held that position because he could throw really far and was quite accurate. He spent his childhood with his siblings; JW, Etta Marie (Beldon), Arthur and Eddie. Wayne headed to Wyoming to find work after he finished school. Wayne, or Lyle, as most of his coworkers called him worked as a lineman, worked in construction, operated heavy equipment in road construction, and worked in the oilfield. Some of the jobs he operated heavy equipment for include, the Alaskan Pipeline, the Eisenhower Tunnel, Trapper Mine, Ruedi Reservoir, most of the I-70 interstate highway system through Colorado and into Utah, State Bridge to Estes Park highway, Central City/Blackhawk, the Million Dollar Highway (Red Mountain Pass), DeBeque Canyon, North Parachute access tunnel, and the “engineering marvel”, Glenwood Canyon. He was quickly skilled and well respected in his career. He was a very proud 50 year member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local No. 9. Friends and family that worked alongside and for him have many great memories of him. Probably the best memory of all is when an older friend took him home from a construction site in Riverton, Wyoming to his family of 10 children and his beautiful wife. It wasn’t long before they “adopted” him into the family. When the mother made tortillas, she would hand a warm one with butter to Wayne and slap the hand of anyone else trying to grab one. Anita, one of the six sisters caught his eye and they met at the altar on February 16, 1965.

Wayne and Anita started their family nearly 10 months later in Canon City, Colorado with the birth of their first son and their second son in early 1967 in Riverton, Wyoming. In October 1967, they followed the oilfield and planted their roots in Rifle, Colorado. They added five more children to their family. Wayne worked hard and always provided a good home for his wife and children, whom he was so proud of. He delighted in having children and babies around him. Becoming a Papa, and a Great Grandpa, besides having his own children were some of his happiest moments. He was an uncle to numerous nephews and nieces, some of who were able to work for him. He loved teaching them his skills and sharing his vast knowledge that some still carry today.

Wayne was a very strong man of faith and raised his family in the Catholic Church, setting that foundation under them. Wayne was a very generous man who always made room for anyone in need, opening his home to family members and friends, even strangers who were in need of a place to lay their head or needed a bite to eat. Wayne was proceeded in death by his youngest daughter, Monica Marie Green, his youngest son, Anthony (Tony) Royal Green, his precious granddaughter, Zoe Savannah Brown, and his son-in-law, Eric Jordan Brown. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Anita Green, five of his children, 17 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, all four of his siblings, nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, numerous friends, and those he considered family.

Wayne will be laid to rest next to his children and near his granddaughter in Rifle, Colorado following a rosary and funeral mass in Grand Junction, Colorado. Everyone is welcome to attend both.

Please join us at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church 230 N. 3rd St., Grand Junction, CO on Friday, April 11. Coffee and donuts will be served in the parish hall at 9:00am prior to the rosary at 10:00am and the funeral mass at 11:00am. Cremation burial will immediately follow in Rifle Colorado at Rose Hill Cemetery 77 Birch Ave, at approximately 1:00 pm. Celebration of Life will follow the burial at the Moose Lodge in Rifle at 133 E 3rd St.

To view the service please click on the following link-

https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=fcb3801d-4f66-4b9a-97fa-386242c63f98

In lieu of flowers, please extend a helping hand to someone in need in remembrance of our kind, generous and big-hearted Dad.