Greer, Edward, 1SG

Edward (Ed) Akers Greer, 83, passed away peacefully at SECU Hospice House in Smithfield, North Carolina on November 27, 2016.

One of 15 children, Edward was born in the Little Gap Community on Grassy Hill in Franklin County, Virginia. The oldest son of Harry Thomas and Oveeda (Hodges) Greer, he was the first in his extended family to graduate from Franklin County High School (1953) and later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Columbus State University in Georgia (1989). 

Edward spent 24 years in the U.S. Army, including 12 years in Explosive Ordinance Disposal. He was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and a parachutist. While in the military, he received a Bronze Star for valor. Later in his career he worked as an engineer with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Recently, he served as guardian ad litem for Johnston County, NC and as an officer of the American Legion in Smithfield. 

A born storyteller, genealogist and writer, Edward wrote short stories and compiled a pictorial history of the "Misty Mountain" families from Grassy Hill. He was a proud Scots-Irish descendent of Clan MacGregor in Scotland and James "the Emigrant" Greer. 

Edward is survived by his wife, Gary Ann (Cate) Greer; a daughter, Dr. Edrie Greer (Charles Menn); stepchildren Rachel Mills (Freddie) and Dr. John Dowling; grandchildren Cassidy and Hannah Dowling and Freddie and Cate Mills; sisters Lonnie Holland, Virginia Hodges, and Carolyn Lyman (Mike); a brother, A.J. (Jim) Greer; a best friend, Grover Miller; and many nieces, nephews and cousins as well as two cats, Mr. O and Mz. Purdy. His beloved dog, Andy, preceded him in death by just two weeks.