From his obituary
“He was born on Sept. 9, 1934, the youngest son of Murray and Gretta Greenup of Lorain, Ohio. He was an alumnus of Brookside High School in Sheffield, Ohio, The Ohio State University in Columbus and The University of Oklahoma in Norman. He retired as director of the Marine Corps Research Center in 1997 and proudly served as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
“As a Fredericksburg resident for more than 50 years, Bill served as both a member and a leader of numerous organizations and volunteer groups including Fredericksburg City Council (1988–2000, mayor 1996–2000), Fredericksburg City School Board, Virginians for High Speed Rail, Potomac & Rappahannock Transportation Commission, Virginia Municipal League Cities Section, Virginia Transit Association, Public Safety and Crime Prevention Steering Committee (NLC) and Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center. One of his proudest accomplishments on City Council was to help bring the VRE to Fredericksburg, where he served as chairman of the operations board.”
Bill served 4 terms on the Vestry. 1970-1972 including, junior warden 1971, senior warden in 1972, 1976-78 and then serving 1983-1985. By that time he was preparing the way for his political campaign.
In his capacity as senior warden took responsibility Christian Education, Ushering Committee and World Committee. In that year the Vestry minutes reported 500 active and 150 inactive parishioners. That was a committee beginning to look at hiring as a second priest.
That year there was emphasis on communication – contacting inactive members, groups in the church writing up their activities in the bulletin, better greeting by ushers, publicizing St. George’s more in the Virginia Churchman and creation of a pamphlet about St. George’s history for the narthex. Greenup was also a chalice bearer and lay reader in that year. Tom Faulkner also planned to retire in 1973 (delayed until 1976). The pledge collection $46K pledged to date with approximately 45 people that had not pledged.
In 1986, the issue about purchasing what became Hope House on Lafayette Blvd was put to a congregational vote and Greenup made the motion to approve it thus connecting the church to this organization for the future.
Funeral Homily from Joe Hensley, May 16, 2015
“I wish that I had known Bill Greenup. Being new to Fredericksburg, I did not get the opportunity to hear him tell one of his long stories or experience his extraordinary care and courtesy. I wish I could have asked him about his lacrosse days at Ohio State, his career in and around the Marine Corps, his over 55 year marriage to his beloved Mary Elizabeth. He could have taught me a great deal about the history and politics of Fredericksburg. I would have asked him what inspired him to serve on the vestry here at St. George’s four times, including once as senior warden. I definitely would have asked this former councilman and mayor about service, about what it meant to him. I would have asked him about his love of books and reading. After hearing his daughters, Libba and Taylor, talk about their dad, I would have asked him how he learned to be such a good father and grandfather. But rather than talk about himself, it sounds like he probably would have told me stories about other people, about his children and his three grandsons, Pearson, Turner, and Ryelan. It saddens me that I cannot ask him these things. I wonder if many of you have a list of your own things you wish you could say to Bill or hear from him.
“On Bill’s last day as mayor of Fredericksburg, he was interviewed by the Freelance-Star newspaper and said this: “I’d like to be remembered as someone who tried to leave his community a better place than when he came.” I daresay he will get his wish. He also quoted the French poet, Charles Baudelaire. “Lift your anchor and set your course toward the new.”