Stephen Howard Greene - Obituary

tephen Howard Greene, age 83, passed away peacefully on August 15, 2026 at home from a long battle with cancer. Stephen was born in Plattsburg, NY on January 5, 1943, and was the son of Margaret Mary O’Connor and James Franklin Greene. Stephen was a graduate and later named Distinguished Alumnus of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD. He was also a graduate of the University of Maryland. Stephen enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1966 and served two years in Vietnam where he was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with a Combat V. In 1968, he was appointed as a Special Agent in the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), which later became the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Stephen served with distinction for 28 years in domestic ports in Baltimore and Los Angeles, and in foreign offices of Saigon, Vietnam; Bangkok, Thailand, and Hong Kong, B.C.C. In April of 1975, when Saigon fell to the communists, Stephen assisted the head of the Vietnamese Narcotics Bureau and his wife and family in escaping Vietnam. This story was later reported on the front page of the Washington Post on Thanksgiving Day 2023. He eventually served at the DEA Headquarters. Stephen held senior positions at DEA Headquarters as the head of Foreign Operations and eventually Assistant Administrator for Operations. On August 12, 1992, Stephen was nominated by President George Bush and later confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the Deputy Administrator of the DEA. He was sworn in by Attorney General William Barr and later served under Attorney General Janet Reno. Stephen also served as the Acting Administrator of the DEA from November 1993 through March 1994. Along with many other awards, Stephen received a Presidential Rank Award. Stephen retired in September 1996 and went on to hold senior positions with the Investigative Group International, the Sergeant at Arms Office of the U.S. House of Representatives and at the U.S. Department of State, Office of Diplomatic Security. Additionally, one of Stephen’s most enjoyable positions was serving on the Board of Military Historical Tours and participating in many tours to U.S. Marine Corps WWI, WWII and Vietnam battlefields. He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Mary Kathleen Greene. He also leaves behind his brothers, James Franklin (Alison) and Thomas Gerard (Sharon) and many nieces and nephews. A Memorial Mass will be offered on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 620 N. Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Stephen’s memory to DeMatha Catholic High School, 4313 Madison Street, Hyattsville, MD 20781, or Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD 21122.