James "Jim" Kenneth Greene

James (“Jim”) Kenneth Greene, a loving husband, devoted father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, and friend – peacefully passed away on August 18, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He was 88.

Jim was born October 21, 1937, in Galesburg, Illinois, to John Kenneth McKinely Greene and Rosina P. McKeering Greene, he was the middle son of three boys. Jim attended St. Joseph’s Academy and later attended and graduated from Galesburg High School in 1957. After high school, he went to work for Admiral/Maytag and in 1958, he married his soulmate, Barbara Brown. After 38 years at Maytag, he retired in 1995, and in August of 1995 he and Barbara moved to Nampa, Idaho to live near their two children and enjoy their families.

Jim, while in Galesburg was a member of Corpus Christi Church. He loved remodeling and working on his home, building garage(s) and other building projects. He was always meticulous about his yard and worked endlessly on his landscaping, gardening & patio. He always loved taking his family on annual vacations across the U.S., but he loved Idaho’s mountains & rivers the best! Jim was an avid hunter, fisherman & golfer. He enjoyed deer hunting at Aunt Helen & Uncle Duane’s farm outside of London Mills, IL, along with fishing in their pond, and cutting down the family’s annual 25-30 ft Christmas tree that always presented a challenge to get through the front door to his 35 ft. high living room ceiling (at the old Lombard College Music Conservatory home located at Knox St. & Whitesboro) - for his family & others to enjoy during their almost 30 years of Christmas’ on Knox St. He took annual deer hunting trips to Montpelier, Idaho with a small group of work friends, and later his son-in-law joined him for his last few Montpelier trips, long before he moved to Idaho.

Once in Idaho, Jim became a member of St. Paul’s Church in Nampa, ID and continued to support & help Barbara with her church volunteer projects at the First Presbyterian Church in Nampa. He enjoyed the friends & relationships he made through the Presbyterian Church with Barbara. Jim sought every opportunity to be outdoors… gardening & landscaping to create his “Little bit of Heaven,” or golfing, boating and fishing with his kids and grandkids in Idaho and Oregon; and he and Barbara loved to entertain and enjoy family and friends with their annual Fish Fry and homebrewed beer! Jim loved sharing fishing and hunting stories with his grandkids, along with childhood stories and memories that would entertain them for hours.

Jim was an enthusiastic sports fan. From the beginning… he was a St. Louis Cardinal fan that was always eager to take his family along with his Dad to Cardinal games in St. Louis. He later became a Cubs fan but still enjoyed his memories of the Cardinals & Busch Stadium. He loved cheering for the Chicago Bears, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Boise State Bronco’s – where he enjoyed attending football games and being on the Blue every chance he got. Jim was an artist at heart… whether doodling cartoon characters of his kids and grandkids, painting Galesburg or mountain scenes, or painting a compass on the Den ceiling, creating a cool design on the patio, or painting cars & creating designs to make the cars unique. Jim would be remiss if we didn’t mention his love for his dogs & animals… Duchess & PJ were not only his devoted hunting dogs but part of the family, and he loved caring for their litters of beagle puppies over the years; his dogs Muttly & Sophie were his devoted companions and he loved being their family. His racoon, “Ticket” was found while hunting - he nursed him to health for several months, Ticket was leashed while he healed and made his home in the tree next to the garage for several months; Joe, the 12 lb. turtle was found on the side of the road - he drilled a hole in the edge of his shell to limit Joe to the backyard with fishline; and Sky, the Red-Tailed Hawk - he nursed to health, before releasing him back into the wild.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Barbara; his mother and father, and both his brothers, John & Joe. He is survived by his two children Margaret Greene Kralovec (John) and Thomas Greene (Janine); his grandchildren Thomas Kralovec, Taylor Kralovec (Maddie), Anthony Greene (Kelcey), and Jaeden Greene; and his two great- grandsons Zachias Kralovec (who loved calling him “Ol Papa) & Thomas Greene, all of Boise.

A special thank you to his dear friends Joe & Rose and his dedicated Dog Park group, the care team @Avista Assisted Living of Garden City & the Horizon Hospice care team – Chase, Rochelle, Cassie, Jo Ellen & more, and his friend Joyce for her friendship these last few years. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Knox County Humane Society No Kill Animal Shelter in Galesburg, IL (knoxcountyhumanesociety.org), the West Valley Humane Society in Nampa/Caldwell (westvalleyhumanesociety.org), or Horizon Hospice (through their partner AngelsAnonymousIdaho.com). Nampa Funeral Home-Yraguen Chapel is honored to serve the family and online condolences and memories may be shared at Nampafuneralhome.com

Per Jim’s request, there will be no funeral service. The family will be scattering Jim & Barbara’s ashes together in the Salmon River in Riggins, Idaho this fall, with a Celebration of Life to be held in October.