Passed on Wednesday, 05 January 2022

The Rev. Dr. Thayer Greene, one of the spiritual giants of First Church Amherst, left this life Wednesday evening, January 5, 2022.  He was surrounded by the love of his family.  He was predeceased by his wife of 70 years, Anita Greene in 2021.  He is survived by his daughters, Becca, Alison, and Rachel, and their five grandchildren.

As a 19-year-old infantryman in World War II, Thayer helped liberate the Dora-Mittlebau concentration camp. He later enrolled at Amherst College, and while there he met Anita, a Mt. Holyoke student, on a blind date.

Thayer became associate pastor at First Congregational in Amherst in 1953. Within several months, he was called as pastor of the large congregation, and in 1954, Thayer and Anita moved into the parsonage (now Jessie’s House). Thayer served the church until 1962, when he left to pursue a vocation more singularly focused on healing.

Both Thayer and Anita became Jungian psychotherapists, and in 1998 they returned to First Church, where they were known to occasionally co-lead Transformative Learning sessions, and continued to work with patients until a few years ago.

Thayer was a lover of many people and things, especially the Red Sox, and he longed for the day when he would be healthy enough to attend worship in person. We will miss Thayer’s open mind, booming voice, engaging story-telling, and deep faith. As recently as Christmas Day, he wanted everyone to know that God is love.

When there is more information available we will post it here.