Mariette Diana Greene

Mariette Diana Greene was born September 2, 1922 to the parents of Dr. Paul Timothy Robinson and Mary L. Wiseman in El Dorado Arkansas, both rural schoolteachers at the time. Her father, a Meharry Medical College graduate, class of 1931 and her mother, an astute businesswoman as well as teacher made great contributions to their respective communities in their lifetimes. Mariette, born Mariette Diana Robinson was the second of four children born to this union. Her siblings: Cristabelle Robinson Camp, Dr. Julius Caesar Robinson, and Paul Timothy Robinson Jr. Mariette was very happily connected to and engaged with her other 4 younger siblings who came along later: Pearl Robinson, Virginia Delana Robinson, Joseph Robinson, and Angela Robinson.

Mariette spent a large portion of her childhood living with her grandparents, the Alfred Wiseman family on a large farm where they tended and raised horses, cows, chickens, pigs and even plowed the fields with a hand plow for-planting; although Mariette said she let Christabelle do all the plowing. She describes being very close to her Grandpa Alfred and loved living on the farm.

She was passionate about education. Her father moved the family to New Orleans, Louisiana where he would complete a residency in surgery. Young Mariette embraced the opportunities of urban life. She graduated from the highly rated McDonough #35 High School in New Orleans and then went on to attend two prominent HBCU’S, Dillard University of New Orleans then matriculating to Tuskegee Institute of Alabama from where she obtained her first Bachelor of Arts degree. Our mother told us they met several of the Tuskegee Airmen ---as they trained at Tuskegee University while she was there. She was a faithful choir member at Tuskegee Institute as well. She enjoyed her college years.

A little later Mariette met and married Burkes Gerald Greene Sr., her husband and life partner for over 64 years up to the time of his passing in 2012. Their union produced 5 children---Linda Sheryl Greene, Burkes Gerald Greene Jr., Harold N. Greene, Joyce Evelyn Greene, and Michael Joseph Greene. Mr. Greene was a career serviceman and ultimately a naval officer attaining chief radioman while all along writing stories for “Our Navy” magazine and then later stories for the “Negro Digest” and “Essence" magazine among others. Mr. Greene was deployed to sea for several months a year on Navy “West Pac” deployments in the Pacific theatre as well as in the Mediterranean theatre.

Mariette knew very well how to keep 5 children in obedience. With seeming ease, she toted all five children to church every Sunday, year after year. She made sure all five had training in the classical arts ---piano, instruments, voice, athletics meets and training as well. She played a pivotal role in preparing her children for all their future successes in their fields of endeavor--- always supporting, attending, and encouraging. She encouraged and supported her grand and great-grandchildren as well.

Mariette began working on her second bachelor’s degree at California State University Long Beach. As Mr. Greene saw her going for higher education, he was inspired to do so as well. They attended college together every day after work for several years---she attained her second bachelor’s degree and Mr. Greene attained his first in the field of History and English. With a degree in education, Mariette was ready to take her post-graduate teaching certification in speech and language pathology from CSULB.

Mariette began her career as a teacher. She taught preschool in San Francisco and later became one of the first Headstart teachers in the Southbay area in the 60s. After obtaining her certifications, she then became tenured in the LAUSD school systems as a special education teacher working with children with learning disabilities. She spent the bulk of her years teaching at 118th St. Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles, and then Cimarron Elementary School in the Southbay. She was blessed to be able to work with her special ed assistant, Ms. Mary Hardy, for many of those years. She traveled to many meetings of the California Speech and Language Teachers Association where she often made presentations. Mariette made beautiful storyboards for her children, produced plays that included the entire student body and organized career days.

She loved travel. She faithfully traveled to the Bay Area with her children in summers and holidays to spend time with her mother and her siblings and extended family. She was a world traveler, visiting Europe, Africa, Japan, Egypt, Nigeria, as well as she cruised the Caribbean with her mother, as her mother advanced in age but was full of energy like Mariette. She traveled with her sister, Pearl, and her daughter, Linda, and as well with her grandchildren. She attended and traveled to support all her adult children in their respective fields of professional entertainment, gospel music arts, beautiful wood and fine arts, education, and law. She was happy to know that her steadfastness and labor of love brought ultimate joy, fruitfulness, and success in the lives of her children. Mrs. Greene was a social butterfly and loved to meet and talk to people wherever she went. She and her husband Burkes took their children to national parks, on road trips, to baseball games, to wrestling matches for the boys as well as golf courses.

Mariette was a leader in the field of arts. She had a great artistic talent for painting. She sketched and painted in oils and watercolors. She had a great hand for sculpture, working with bronze and clay. She has dozens of beautiful pieces of original work in all mediums. She was the proprietor of the “Greenline Gallery and Patisserie" in San Pedro, California, where she hosted and launched the careers of several known artists such as Charles Bibbs, working alongside Muriel Olguin and others.

Mariette was a member of and raised her children in the Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in San Pedro, California under the pastorate of Reverend Doctor Robert D. Cofield. She later became a member of the Trinity Baptist church of Los Angeles, California under Reverend Alvin Tunstill Jr. where she was a faithful choir member. In her latter years she attended the West Angeles Church of God in Christ under the leadership of Bishop Charles Blake, spending most of her time in the intercessory prayer rooms.

Mariette was a woman of ever-increasing faith. She embraced it with a fervor unmatched in her latter years. Eloquence in prayer and worship became her mainstay. On April 15, 2023 she prayed this prayer "Lord help us to love others with the same love that you have loved us.”

Mariette leaves a host of relatives, friends and loved ones to cherish her beloved memory. She is preceded in passing by her husband, Burkes Gerald Greene Sr., her son, Burkes Gerald Greene, Jr., her sisters Christabelle Camp and Angela Robinson, her brothers Dr. Julius Caesar Robinson, and Paul Timothy Robinson Jr., and her great grandson, Sol Amir Majied.

She leaves to savor her precious memories: Her children Linda Sheryl Greene, Joyce Evelyn Greene, Harold N. Greene and Michael Joseph Greene. Her sisters Virginia Del Robinson and Pearl Robinson and brother Joseph Robinson. Her daughter-in-law Kathleen Seixas Greene. Her grandchildren--Naeem Majied, Maile Greene, Marcus Greene, and Omar Listenbee. Great grandchildren--Amaiah Rose Majied, Clarity Listenbee, Noa Listenbee and Elijah Listenbee --and great great grandson, Jericho Malachi Ramirez Majied. She leaves a host of other very special friends including Cardy Hardy and Astrid Thangan.