Con Green

Born on August 30, 1940, to Conrad Con Green and Katherine Elizabeth Frehauf, in their home at 854 Lipan Street, Con (Gus) Green was the ninth of twelve children, and the second of only three boys. He was adored by his family and revered for his striking good looks and incredibly blonde hair. As a young boy a family friend would say that he was so blonde he looked to be a Swede not German, and called him “Gustav”, thus giving him his lifelong preferred nickname of “Gus.”

 

Gus grew up in his parents’ modest home on 21st and Clay street, which was considered North Denver at the time, until he was 17. In stark contrast to his reputation as an adult, he remembered, fondly, that he was regarded as a “hoodlum” in his days there. He told grand stories of trouble making, gallivanting, and hustling for money as a young teen. Gus attended North Denver High School and West Denver High School. He met the love of his life, Irene Connely, on April 21, 1956 at Harners restaurant, where she was working as a carhop. Irene would say, later, that within three weeks of meeting him she knew that Gus would be her husband. The couple dated for just one year and were married on October 26, 1957 in Presentation of Our Lady Catholic Church in Denver.

 

Gus and Irene remained in Denver and had three beautiful and adored daughters, Sherry, Shelley, and Suzann. In 1962 they moved to the suburbs to raise their family, and did so in Northglenn until 1980. Gus was a devoted husband and father. He enjoyed camping with his girls, fishing, teaching them to build things, watching Suzy play sports, and supporting Irene in whatever her heart desired, most of all. 

 

Gus worked as a carman for the railroad building box cars as an early career, but developed most of his professional life with Public Service Company. While there he attended some college and gained his certification in welding. He was a hard and dedicated worker, and retired in the position of Operations Manager/Plant Supervisor at the Cherokee Power Plant, in 2002 after 33 years. While working for Public Service, Gus developed a love for metal working and craftsmanship, and would create beautiful works of functional and non functional art.

 

In 1988, after the birth of  five grandchildren, Gus and Irene would fulfill a longtime dream, and purchase “the farm” in Broomfield, Colorado. There, the couple raised saddlebred horses and enjoyed all that the country life had to offer. Gus enjoyed teaching his grandchildren to work on the farm and ride horses, and always had a project to occupy his time. While at the farm he got his beloved “Shasta” dog, and particularly loved his morning coffee on the porch with her curled in his lap. 

 

Gus’ children and grandchildren (and great grandchildren)  were his life-blood. He was known to never miss a sporting event his grandchildren were involved in, and he always had appropriate apparel to show his support. He and Irene devoted themselves to making memories with their grandchildren, making a tradition of trips to the mountains, the circus, and memorable family get togethers. Wherever his family was, you could count on Gus to be behind the lens of his camera, snapping pictures of the moments he loved so much. 

 

In 2003, after his retirement, Gus and Irene became snow-birds. They sold the farm and purchased a condo in Windsor, Colorado, and one in Mesquite, Nevada. They split their time between the properties, summers in Windsor and winters in Nevada. Gus loved everything about Mesquite. The sun and warmth were his favorite, and he was active in the retirement community there. He was a phenomenal 3rd baseman in softball all of his adult life and enjoyed playing softball with the Mesquite Geezers for 5 years in his 70’s. He won a gold metal as a senior Olympian in basketball, and played golf almost daily. He was known to the senior tap dance organization, "Mesquite Toes" as “the hand” and was beloved by the dancers as key stage hand at productions. Gus and Irene traveled the world with their friends from the Mesquite Toes, visiting many states and 13 countries to perform from 2003-2015. 

 

Gus spent the last months of his life doing exactly what it is that he loved, spending time with his bride, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, watching sports, and enjoying a cup of coffee on the porch.

 

He is survived by his loving wife, Irene Green, daughters Sherry Green, Shelley Green, and Suzann Green, sister Phyllis Groetkin, grandchildren Sol Mascarenas, Nate Mascarenas, Jarred Schlener, Adel Nieto, Jennae Roelle, and 13 great-grandchildren ages 2-18. He is preceded in death by his parents and 10 siblings. 

 

A celebration of life will be held on Monday, November 7, 2022 at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, 1250 Seventh Street, Windsor, CO at 1:00pm. Reception to follow at the parish hall. Final Interment services will be held the same day at 4:30pm at Lakeview Cemetery, SW corner of hwy 392 and hwy 257, Windsor, CO.

 

The family would love to hear your special memories of our beloved husband, father, Poppa and uncle.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Knights of Columbus 2600 6th Avenue, Greeley, CO 80631, for their generosity for feeding the children and providing school supplies, and to HABIC- Human-Animal Bond in Colorado, https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/habic/ for their work with comfort therapy animal training, and human-animal bonding. Gus so loved the children and animals.