Tim Greening
| Timothy Joseph Greening (Shreveport Times | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 27, 1968 West Point, New York |
| Died | April 18, 2007 Bossier City, Louisiana |
| Religion | United Methodist |
Timothy Joseph Greening, known as Tim Greening (August 27, 1968 – April 18, 2007), was a humor columnist and features writer for the Gannett-owned Shreveport Times in Shreveport, Louisiana. His career was cut short at the age of thirty-eight after he collapsed at the home of widowed mother, Ann L. Greening (born October 20, 1942), then of Haughton. Greening died in a hospital in Bossier City, located just east of Shreveport.
Born in West Point, New York, Greening was the son of the late Lowell Thomas Greening. He began as a copy boy at The Times in 1986, on his graduation from Haughton High School. In time, he began to write sports, neighborhood, and feature stories. In 1993, he graduated from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and was eventually given his own column. His obituary describes him as "gentle and loving. His unique insight and keen wit were unequaled. He had a God-given gift to see the humor in everyday life. Tim brought so much joy to everyone's life and will be sorely missed." His last column appeared in the newspaper on April 20, 2007 - a satire on the Internal Revenue Service and wasteful government spending.
On October 30, 2001, Greening reported on the dedication of the Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Buck Owens statues unveiled at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport. The four had performed on the former Louisiana Hayride country music gala in Shreveport between 1948 and 1960. Greening often wrote on unusual topics. In 2003, he wrote about the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. In 2005, as a food writer, Greening reported on how to make a meal from the Circle K convenience store. In 2006, he reviewed a Britney Spears concert and declared it to have been more "like a big budget Broadway musical than a traditional pop concert."
His services were held at the Asbury United Methodist Church of Bossier City. Interment was in Grand View Burial Park in Hannibal, Missouri. In addition to his mother, Greening was survived by a sister, Katricia "Kit" Greening.
Greening's death came four days after the loss of another Louisiana journalist, John LaPlante, Jr., the Capitol News Bureau director of the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, who lost consciousness and died from a swimming accident at Galveston Island, Texas. Then on May 10, a retired television news anchorman, Ken Case of Monroe, was killed in an automobile accident near his home.
