Obituary : Roger D. Greeley
Roger Davenport Greeley of Chilmark and Healdsburg, Calif., 61, died December 6, from complication of a gall bladder infection and from related brain hemorrhaging. Roger's wife, Dawn Morad Greeley, popular Chilmark artist, gardener, and philanthropist, predeceased him in May 2008.
Mr. Greeley, a descendant of the iconic 19th century American newspaper publisher and guru of the transcendentalists, Horace Greeley ("Go West, young man") was raised in Arlington. He earned a degree in engineering from Tufts University in Medford. He met and married Dawn during his college years - she attended Simmons College in Boston. They moved to Sudbury, each to pursue high-powered executive careers, Roger first at General Electric Corp, then at Digital Electronic Corp.
Their son, Alexander Morad Greeley, was born in May, 1984. In Alex's early teens, the family of three moved year-round to their home on Old Ridge Hill Road in Chilmark where Alex attended the West Tisbury School, then received a degree in computer science from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Penn.
After migrating to the Vineyard following his retirement from Digital, Roger developed a business consulting practice. He also followed his bliss of driving race cars, a passion that contributed to his efforts (soon to bare fruit) to stage an Indy Racing League in Baltimore. The unique plan includes creation of a temporary Grand Prix route along the harbor and winding through city streets. This past summer on Old Ridge Hill Road, Roger's most shining hours were passed in talks, meetings, faxes and emails between Chilmark and Baltimore. Roger brought together a fan base including city mayor Sheila Dixon, champion racers Bobbie Rayhall and Danica Patrick, and the upper echelons of the Indy Racing League.
Roger's hope was to be the first driver to steer the course before the race, tentatively scheduled for September 2011.
Roger Greeley loved to play golf, garden, and his library shelves reflect an interest in eclectic writers and subjects ranging from Aldous Huxley, Raymond Chandler, and Zen Buddhism.
He is survived by his mother Evelyn Greeley of Chapel Hill, N.C.; his son Alex of Seattle, Wash; and two brothers: Don Greeley of Durham, N.C., and Richard Greeley of Houston, Texas. A memorial service was held for him with family and friends in Healdsburg, and he is much missed by Vineyard friends and business partners.
