Lloyd “Buzz” Greenup Jr, age 77, passed away at his home in Hamilton, Montana on April 22, 2023. Buzz was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 12,1946, and was the son of Ruth and Lloyd “Grumpy” Greenup Sr. They moved to Missoula Montana in the late 1940’s, and later to Hamilton. He had 3 younger sisters: Ruth Anne Thorning, Karen Hale, and Kathy Daniels.
Buzz graduated from Hamilton High School in 1964, where he loved music and formed a band known as the Avengers, which played at many school events.During his senior year, Buzz joined the Army National Guard where he served several years.
Buzz and his wife Myra of 57 years were married on April 30, 1966. He is survived by his wife Myra, sister Kathy Daniels of Hamilton, and two adult children:Tawnya Jorgensen and husband Eric of Albany, Oregon and Cade Greenup and wife Brenda who have three children, Alyx, Madilynn, and Lacey of Scappoose,Oregon.
Like his father Grumpy, Buzz joined the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department in 1971. He was instrumental in setting up the All Valley Fire Association and helped established HVFD’s relief association. In 1982 he became Fire Chief, a position he was highly devoted to until his retirement in 2004 after 33 years of volunteer service. He was also very involved in helping the local boy scouts, and for many years maintained a vintage school bus converted into a full kitchen that kept scores of hungry scouts fed at their annual summer camp at Twin Lakes up Lost Horse canyon, as well as serving as a merit badge counselor. The two activities came together when Buzz helped create a fire explorer post helping older scouts learn about the fire service. He also loved fly fishing, photography, hunting and shooting at the Whittecar Rifle & Pistol Range.
After high school, Buzz worked in the local togging industry before landing a job in 1967 at the Hamilton Floral and Greenhouse, founded by the Stanley family in1938. He mostly worked on larger projects to keep the greenhouse running, but eventually explored his creative side and started making floral arrangements. He later became co-owner of Hamilton Floral with Myra where they both provided beautiful floral creations, annual bedding plants from the greenhouse, wreaths for the holidays, and exemplary customer service to the local community for more than 40 years.
Buzz loved to help out on projects and couldn’t refuse a request for help ranging from wood working, flooring, plumbing, greenhouse construction and anything that would allow him to run a large machine. He was always up for a challenge, and even from a young age was always working, doing jobs from planting pine trees, mowing lawns, baby-sitting, pin-setting at the local bowling alley, cooking, hooking logs, and even building the flower shop from the ground up when they needed a new location. He was a wealth of knowledge on so many subjects and was always looking for ways to make those around him smile.
The family is planning an informal celebration of life for family, friends, and all who knew him later this summer. Condolences may be left for the family atwww.dalyleachchapel.com