74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeCommunityDeathsFrancisco Greaux Dies at 65

Francisco Greaux Dies at 65

Francisco Greaux Francisco ‟Mush” Greaux died on March 1 at his Frenchtown home after a long illness. He was 65 years old.
‟Mush” (pronounced Moosh), as he was fondly known, was a familiar Frenchtown presence. He was raised in a big family in the little cottage where he died, across the street from what is now Juliana’s Bake Shop, owned by Melinda Greaux, his cousin,
She remembered him fondly. ‟He was a great baseball player as well as a friend, one of my heroes,” she said, this week.
The family, much smaller now, was an integral part of the Frenchtown community, participating in everything from baseball to hats. Greaux’s mother, Pauline Greaux, was known island-wide for her beautifully crafted straw hats, always shown off at Carnival. Some of them are on display at the Frenchtown Heritage Museum.
Close friend Leon Danet remembers Greaux’s baseball career well. Danet was manager of the Apache Fast Pitch Softball team where Greaux was his star shortstop. They played at the Joseph Aubain and Emile Griffith ballparks. ‟That was from the late sixties to the eighties,” Danet said. ‟Mush was on our Olympic team, the Virgin Islands National Fast Pitch Softball Team. We competed in the World Tournament in Columbia, and Tacoma, Washington in 1978 and 1979, and in Cuba in 1982.”
Greaux’s love for baseball ran parallel to his job. He worked for what was then the V. I. Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation for 30 years. His immediate supervisor, Ronnie Hunt, had this to say: ‟Mush was an outstanding worker. He worked as a field specialist on the ballparks in St. Thomas. And, indeed, he was a great ballplayer, too. I remember when they came back from Columbia where he brought his team to victory for hitting the most home runs. He was greeted in with a motorcade in Frenchtown. He will not be forgotten.”
He served in the U.S. Army in Viet Nam as a cook. His cousin, Melinda Greaux, recalled one of his memories of Viet Nam. ‟He said he [was] always ready. He had his gun right next to his pot,” she said.
Greaux was almost always in the front yard greeting friends as they strolled or drove by after he retired from work and play on the ballfields.
He is survived by his sisters: Lillian Danet and Marie Blanchard; brothers: Joseph Augustin Greaux and John M. Greaux; and many friends and relatives.
A first viewing will be held at the Celestial Chapel of the Hurley Funeral Home from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on March 9. The second viewing will be held from 9-10 a.m., March 10, at St. Anne’s Chapel in Frenchtown followed by a funeral mass at 10 a.m. Cremation will follow the funeral mass.
For online condolences, visit www.hurleydavisfuneralhome.com
 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.