Lanny Lee Green, 73, formerly of Creston, Iowa, died Thursday, September 7, 2017, at his home in Dallas, Texas. A funeral service was held at the First Christian Church of Carrollton, Texas, on September 9, 2017. A memorial is anticipated in Creston, Iowa, at a future date. Online condolences may be made at www.powersfh.com.
Lanny was born March 19, 1944, to Doris J. and Delbert W. Foster in Frederick, Oklahoma, where his father was an instructor pilot in the United States Army Air Field. After the untimely death of his father, Lanny and his mother lived for a time with relatives in Kent, Iowa. His mother married again and Lanny was adopted by her husband, Donald E. Green. The family settled in Creston where Lanny attended all twelve years of school. As a youngster Lanny was a Boy Scout, a Des Moines Register and Tribune carrier, and a participant in track events. In high school Lanny sang in the choir, bowled, golfed, and acted in school plays. A reporter for the school paper, he was also a co-editor of the yearbook and a member of the National Honor Society.
Lanny married Phyllis White November 3, 1962, in Maryville, Miss...[more]
i. The couple began their family while earning Bachelor of Science degrees in English at Northwest Missouri State University. During those years Lanny was employed by the Price Funeral Home where he drove an ambulance and assisted with the duties of that business. Following graduation in 1966, Lanny, his wife, and two little girls moved to Dallas, Texas, where he enrolled in and graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science as a licensed mortician.
While still finishing his credential in mortuary science and working in sales in Dallas, Lanny began considering a different career path. In 1967 the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Lanny took a position with the Avon Corporation. After four years in Kansas City and the birth of a third daughter, the opportunity to work in sales in the dental industry became available in Dallas, Texas. The family returned to the Dallas area in 1971, first to Plano, then to Carrollton. Thus began a career Lanny loved and one that allowed him to travel throughout the United States, Canada, and the far East. With a knack for remembering people, places, and experiences, his work expanded his fund of knowledge and provided the material for many of the stories he loved to tell.
Lanny was a good writer. As a boy he left notes for his working motherwhere he was going and with whom, when he would return. He wrote long detailed letters to his wife while working in Japan and other distant locations. He made a "to do" list at 5:30 each morning and crossed off the items in a few hours. He loved to plan and organize trips, always researching travel bargains.
Lanny loved the companionship of others. He had boisterously good times with his high school buddies. As the "medicine man" in the Indian Princesses organization, he helped fellow fathers of the Mandan tribe win awards for best teepee and totem pole structures. He was often the life of the party after work with his clinician associates. The camaraderie experienced with his pheasant hunting companions in Iowa and salmon fishing guides and crews on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan were highlights of his years.
Lanny loved to defend his opinions and held them on most any topic. He liked trying new adventures (flying airplanes, scuba diving, eating ethnic or regional food). He was thrilled to witness his children and grandchildren succeed in activities he had not tried. His grandsons always knew when grandpa was in the stands at their soccer, baseball, and hockey games because his voice was the loudest and most distinct of the crowd.
While Lanny loved Dallas and watching his daughters and grandchildren grow up there, he remained loyal to the state of Iowa, always nostalgic about the quality of its corn, tomatoes, eggs, cottage cheese, and hometown friends.
Lanny will be missed and remembered by his mother: Doris Green of Nebraska City, Nebraska; wife: Phyllis Green of Dallas, Texas; daughters: Roxanne Herman, Lake Tapawingo, Missouri; Roslyn Kauffman (Greg), Lewisville, Texas; Rochelle Shapard (Rob), Plano, Texas; Grandchildren: Jacob Shapard (Sarah), West Chester, Pa.; Casey Smith (Chelsea), Cleburne, Tx.; Natalie Hensley (Jacob}, Mustang, Ok.; Blake Smith, Lewisville, Tx.; Elizabeth and Joseph Herman, Lake Tapawingo, Mo. as well as an aunt, cousins, friends and neighbors.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents and fathers.