Magdalene Helen Greene (nee’ Nemeth) joined her soulmate in Heaven March 10, 2021. She was born in Rabakethely, Hungary June 28, 1947, the daughter of Jeno and Helen (Ilona) Nemeth. After fleeing their war-torn country, the family found refuge in Austria before being sponsored by an American family and arriving in Galesburg, Il in 1956. One of the first people she met was her future husband and best friend for life, William Joseph “Joe” Greene. Magda graduated from Costa High School in Galesburg, IL in 1965. She then went to Chicago to attend Delta Airline School. She waited for Joe’s safe return from Vietnam in 1968 and they were married in Galesburg May 24, 1969. Their only child, Bernadette, was born in 1973 and the small family relocated to Casper, WY where Magda got her Registered Nursing degree from Casper College in 1977. Following a transfer for her husband’s job with BNSF, the family moved to Alliance NE in 1979. Magda worked at Box Butte County Hospital, then as an Industrial Nurse for Gates Electric Hose and Rubber before becoming the Director of Nursing for Good Samaritan Healthcare, where she stayed until October 1991. In 1992 the family moved to Benson, AZ. After 9 years, they became full-time RVers and enjoyed traveling the country, making friends wherever they went, from the beaches of Florida to volunteering at the lighthouses along the Oregon Coast. They moved to Ogden, UT in 2007 and both were active in the American Legion and Patriot Guard Riders. Magda was the Treasurer for ALR Post 9 for several years while Joe was President. In 2017 they relocated permanently to southern Arizona and were extremely close with their granddaughter, Mei-Ling, rarely missing a sporting contest, school event, or band concert and for almost two years they cared for her full-time while her parents were working long-haul truckers. Magda and Mei enjoyed an Alaskan Cruise in the summer of 2018, thus ensuring Magda had visited all 50 states. Magda was a lifelong, voracious reader and supporter of a variety of causes, but those concerning the welfare of animals and Veterans were especially close to her heart. She also never stopped writing her family back in Hungary and visited multiple times. Magda’s life changed with the sudden passing of her best friend on July 24, 2020. In addition to her husband, she is preceded in death by two sibling children that died in Hungary; her in laws Rosina and Kenneth Greene (1988); brother Laszlo Nemeth (1991); Father Jeno (2000) and mother Helen (2008). She is survived by her daughter Bernadette and her husband Alex Placentia, granddaughter Mei-Ling Rose Santistevan; a beloved “foster” grandson, SSGT Hector Godoy (USMC); sister Klara Kulcsar and brother Steven Nemeth. Services will be held at 10:30 on March 25, 2021 at the Cave Creek National Veterans Cemetery where she will join her soulmate Joe. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in her name to www.garysinisefoundation.org or The Animal Welfare Institute, Animal Welfare Institute.
