John McCollum Green was born the only child of Curtis McCollum Green and Ruby Henshaw Green in Scottsboro, Alabama on October 8, 1946.

He was a Boy Scout early on and worked all the way up to Eagle Scout. A self described "mud-puppy", he enjoyed being near or in the water his entire life. Apalachicola and Key West were favorite places with Jimmy Buffet or John Prine (among many other favorites) playing on the radio. His love for music was obvious and he had a wonderful singing voice. He graduated from Scottsboro High School, Class of 1965, where he played the trumpet in the marching band and excelled in his classes. He then graduated from Auburn University with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering and was proud to be a Golden Eagle in the Auburn Alumni Association.

He was an officer in the United States Air Force and served 4 years at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where he was once honored as Officer of the Year. He then went into the Air Force National Guard where he attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel during his 20 years of service. He began his career with NASA in Huntsville,  Alabama in 1975 and began participating in the Space Shuttle program before the first test flight. In 1992, he was awarded The Silver Snoopy Award, which was particularly special to him as it is a personal recognition from the astronaut team. He retired in 2000 but came out of retirement (and went to New Orleans) to participate on the board investigating the Columbia crash in 2003. His responsibility to the program and to his country were deeply important to him.

John also cared deeply for his family, chosen family, and friends. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and resources, he gave to numerous charities and helped countless people in his orbit whenever he saw the need. He will forever be missed by so many.

John is survived by his wife of 43 years, Carroll; his daughters, Christie and Arleca (Dewayne); his granddaughter, Jessi (Alex); and many extended family members, his chosen family of friends (including fellow members of the Twickenham Van Club; his longtime pals at Bishop's; and the kind folks at New Market Cafe), and his beloved cat, Titchiba.

A Celebration of Life is tentatively planned for the evening of May 1st at Bishop's on Winchester Drive.