Acea Adwin Green Jr.

Acea “Ace” Adwin Green Jr. returned to his Heavenly home on August 28, 2026. He was born on May 2, 1951 to Acea Adwin Green Sr. and Lois Ann DeBorde Green in Roswell, New Mexico where his family had lived since before World War I. He often joked that “the aliens landed in 1947 and there was a four year gestation period. Nanu, nanu.” 

As a youth he worked with his father raising bees and even got a rattlesnake bite loading a hive into the truck one night which required a visit to Doctor Barber at the ER. He related that “ole Doc Barber” treated his shoulder that had been pulled out of place when he dropped the hive but told his dad when he protested that he could have fixed that and that he brought him in for the snake bite. Doc told his dad that “Binky” (as his family called him) had so much bee venom in him from the many times he had been stung, that the rattlesnake bite might make him sick to his stomach but put him to bed and he’d be fine in the morning. Ace loved cars, fishing, camping and Scouting. 

After high school Acea joined the Navy where he shortened his name to Ace to avoid the many mispronunciations. He was trained as a medic and, as a result of his Scoutmaster father’s survival training, he was the first enlisted Navy Seal. Ace was captured and held as a POW for three days by the VietCong but escaped despite being injured. He was awarded three Purple Hearts and other medals which he refused stating that he was “just doing his job.” Ace was medically discharged after being blown off the flight deck of the USS Constellation at the end of a deployment in 1974. When the Navy told him he would never walk again, he said, “I’m an old country boy. Don’t tell me I won’t do something, I’ll do it just to prove you wrong.” Eighteen months later he walked out of Balboa Naval Hospital despite receiving no physical therapy even though he was numb and had what he described as “that burning, tingling feeling” from the waist down. 

After the Navy he graduated from Eastern New Mexico University and worked many different jobs from heavy equipment and general contractor to energy work. He was a volunteer firefighter/EMT and fire chief, became a Shaman with the Lakota Sioux nation and joined his wife Gale in working with Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and became a master instructor. 

Ace joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 2008 and many people still share his conversion story. He delighted in working with the missionaries and in the temple. 

He married Gale on September 3, 2010 and they blended their family. Ace and Gale served a Military Relations Mission in the Washington Tacoma Mission and served in the Bremerton Washington Stake. They worked in conjunction with the Military Relations Missionaries from the Silverton Washington Stake serving the military families stationed at the Kitsap Naval Base in Bremerton and Bangor. 

Ace made it his goal to make at least one person a day smile and loved to joke and tell stories. Gale said that Ace put more guardian angels into therapy than anyone. Many ER nurses told him that “God must not be done with you yet.” 

He is survived by his wife Gale, their children, Mark (Jennifer) Certain, Melissa Davis (Andy Colter), Jack (Rachael) Davis II, Michelle Davis (Robert Speights), James (Lindsey) Davis, Melinda (Ben) Pope, Jacob Davis, Miranda (Aaron) Frodsham, Cody Green, Sarah (Javier) Acosta, and Stasha (Andy) Sprouse, seventeen grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and his sisters, Judy Irwin Carter and Ann Gibson. He is preceded in death by his parents and younger brother, Charles. 

The family would like to extend their most heartfelt gratitude to Kori and Kristy for the exceptional love and care they gave Ace for so many years. 

A viewing will be held on Friday, September 4th from 6 to 8 pm and before the funeral Saturday, September 5th from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the LDS Church at 1050 North 300 West in Mapleton, Utah. The funeral will be held at 11 am with graveside services with military honors at the Mapleton Cemetery following the funeral. 

Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.