David Calvin Greene

David Calvin Greene was born to Elbert & Eleanor (Deyo) Greene at their family home in Waterloo, Iowa on March 8, 1925. He attended and graduated from Waterloo West High School in December of 1943. Sixty-eight years later he was inducted into the West High Academic Hall of Fame, certainly not for his high school grade point, but more importantly for the man he had become. Upon graduation he enlisted in the Marine Corps 3rd Battalion 26th Division where he eventually served as a radio man in the Battle of Iwo Jima, from the first day to the last. This experience changed his life forever, as it did so many other brave servicemen and women. After the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII, David wrote a book about his military experience and began speaking to school classes, service organizations, and others about his experiences. It was important for him to share the “real” information about WWII not always learned in school. His talks had a profound impact on many. In 2012 he had the rare opportunity to revisit Iwo Jima with a delegation from The Greatest Generation Foundation.
During his 3 years in the Marines, David wrote letters to folks back home nearly every day. His commitment to letter writing followed him through most of his life. Just one of the people writing David was Marian Carrigg of Waterloo. After returning from the war, David started dating Marian and they were married in First Congregational Church Waterloo on May 11, 1947. Dave and Marian were both very active members of First Congregational UCC the rest of their lives. Before Marian’s death in 2021, Dave and Marian spent 74 years laughing & crying, building a home, traveling, singing, having fun, enjoying life, serving others, and modeling what it means to be a family.
A former Boy Scout himself, David was deeply involved in the then Boy Scouts of America. As a boy, he would ride his bicycle from his Waterloo home to Camp Ingawanis near Waverly often. As an adult, he served many years as a troop scoutmaster followed by more years on the board of the local Winnebago Council, including as its president. David’s son, 2 grandsons, and 3 great-grandsons earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He proudly attended each Court of Honor. Among many other Scouting awards, he earned the prestigious Silver Beaver Award for his seemingly endless work in Scouting.
Dave was involved in many local service organizations including the American Legion, Elks Club, Waterloo Technical Society, Sertoma Club, Waterloo Ambassadors, Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Board, SCORE, Friendship Village Board, and the Waterloo Elmwood Cemetery Board. He served as campaign chair and president of the Cedar Valley United Way. David helped with the Grout Museum District addition of the Veteran’s Museum and was honored with a namesake Ye Olde Marine Tavern in its lower level. He earned his way to the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier 8 Over 80 award because of his many years of community service.
In the 60’s and 70’s David and his wife, Marian, warmly invited students from abroad in their home. This formed international friendships David maintained for decades through the avid letter-writing habit Dave began during his military service. David and Marian visited friends in Japan multiple times. Last year friends from Japan they first met over 50 years ago visited for the 6th time when David celebrated his100th birthday.
David worked with City of Waterloo as a surveyor for 9 years followed by 36 years at Jens Olesen & Sons and Prairie Construction Company as chief estimator and eventually vice-president. He enjoyed his work in construction and was proud of the many large projects he helped bring to life in central Iowa.
Besides serving his community, Dave loved traveling, having fun, putting on a great party with lifetime friends (especially the IMPs), “adopting” extra grandchildren, helping others in need, and especially spending time with his family. Many memories of “the old” cabin, “the new” cabin, family trips to Disney, and countless hours of singing, playing games, and laughing will be cherished forever.
David was preceded in death by his parents, brothers John Robert Greene, Elbert Greene Jr, Willis “Bill” Greene, and Homer E Greene, his wife Marian Carrigg Greene, and his grandson Tyler David Greene. Surviving David are his daughters Karen (Tom) Farmer, Marsha (Tim) Lind, his son Paul (Gina) Greene, grandchildren Paul (Melinda) Farmer, Catherine (Jesse) White, Ben Lind, Sam (Allison) Lind, Max (Anne) Lind, Lucas (Dora) Greene, and Molly (Brian) Bishop, great-grandchildren Braeden Farmer, Nolan Farmer, Elise White, Andrew White, Lucy Lind, Pippa Lind, Wesley Bishop, Zachy Bishop, and Ellie Bishop.

A visitation will be held for David from 4-7:00 PM on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Locke at Tower Park, 4140 Kimball Ave. Memorial service will start at 3:00PM Wednesday, May 27, at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Waterloo, followed by military honors and a reception at the Grout Museum. Burial will take place in Elmwood cemetery at a later date. Memorial gifts may be directed to the Grout Museum District in Waterloo and First Congregational UCC in Waterloo. Condolences www.LockeFuneralServices.com