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Prominent York auctioneer Green dead at 61
By Toby Manthey, Lincoln Journal Star
From the Lincoln Journal StarNorman E. Green kept his yard, his office -- even the 1955 Chevy he used to drive -- just as he ran an auction: precisely.
It's only fitting that Green's funeral should start at 2:01 p.m., the precise time he started his auctions. An avid outdoorsman, the 61-year-old York auctioneer died Thursday while moose hunting in British Columbia, Canada. The cause of death was a coronary embolism, the sudden obstruction of one of the coronary arteries.
Although the timing of his auctions was a gimmick, daughter Michelle Ronne said friends and family agreed he was a serious auctioneer.
"He didn't beat around the bush," said Ronne, broker of Norm Green Realty & Auction. "You could understand him."
That skill brought him to conduct some highly publicized auctions, such as the bankruptcy sales of State Title and Wanek's of Crete. Ronne said her dad also auctioned much of the farm real estate in York County.
Ronne and sister Kristi Dewey will continue the business at the request of their father, who introduced them to auctions when they were children.
Green graduated from McCool Junction High School in 1960. He married Sharon (Albro) Mongon. The couple divorced in 1988.
In his spare time, he collected marbles and hunted for everything from wild game to asparagus.
Green's sister, Joanne Langford, said she was surprised when her brother became an auctioneer because she knew him as very quiet.
Shirley Milton of Friend said Green's voice wasn't as confusing and was more business like than some auctioneers. He taught many auctioneers in Nebraska, she said.
He was a great teacher, she said.
And, she added, "He was a great friend, believe me."
Among others, Green is survived by his mother and grandchildren. His son, Scott, died at 27.
Services are scheduled for 2:01 p.m. Thursday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in York.
Reach Toby Manthey at 473-7395 or citydesk@journalstar.com