Mr. Marion "Duke" Oliver Greene, Jr.

Obituary For Mr. Marion "Duke" Oliver Greene, Jr.

Celebration of Life Service is Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 11:00am. Ebenezer Baptist Church West (205 North Chase St., Athens, GA

Interment will be in East Lawn Cemetery (825 Winterville Rd., Athens, GA 30605.)

Marion Oliver "Duke" Greene, Jr., passed away peacefully on September 9, 2026, at Stoddard Baptist Nursing Home in Washington, DC. Born on June 11, 1937, in Athens, Georgia. He was the son of Viola Moore Greene and Marion Oliver Greene, Sr.

Duke grew up in Athens, GA, with his sister, Agnes, with a work ethic that took root before he was ten years old. He graduated from Athens High and Industrial School in 1956 and went on to earn a degree in mathematics from Morehouse College in 1961, and in the same year he was initiated into the Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

In 1969, with just $500, Duke founded International Business Services, Inc. (IBS) from the basement of his home. What began as a modest consulting firm grew into one of the most successful high technology companies in the nation, generating annual sales exceeding $28 million and employing more than 600 people. IBS designed and installed the first computerized vessel tracking system for the U.S. Coast Guard, managed one of the Department of Labor's largest computer facilities, and developed the Egyptian government's automated social security program, among many other landmark achievements.

Duke's entrepreneurial vision earned him recognition in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and The Washington Post. In 1975, he became the first Black systems engineer to receive the National Award of Excellence from President Nixon. In 1985, the Washington Office of the Small Business Administration named him Small Businessperson of the Year, and Mayor Marion Barry proclaimed May 10 as "Marion O. 'Duke' Greene Day" in Washington, DC. He, along with Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Bruce Llewellyn, and Warren Moon, was the founding partners of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Philadelphia, which became the largest Black-owned business in the nation.

He was, in every sense, an original businessman, a pioneer who broke barriers, built opportunity, and inspired everyone who crossed his path.

Duke is survived by his sister, Agnes Green, M.D.; his children Rik Freeman (Margarita), Gloria Jones, Stephany Greene, and Brett Greene (Tiffini); his grandchildren Tawana Durham, Shaka Jones (Alexis), Sharday Jones, Nina Greene, Zoe Greene, and Tyler Speed; his niece, Ashley Green; his godson Mario Maddox; ten great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren; as well as a host of relatives and friends who loved him dearly.

In 2027 he will be recognized in the Athens Clark County Center for Racial Justice and Black Futures as one of the first Black Millionaires from Athens, Georgia.

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