Pioneering Hand Surgeon William Green Dies at 78

Dr. William Louis “Bill” Green, well-loved San Francisco orthopedic surgeon, passed away on January 14, 2023, in Hamilton, Montana. He was 78.

Green was a highly respected hand surgeon with California Pacific Orthopedics until he retired in 2016. He first joined his mentors John Callander and Rick Bost in the San Franscisco practice in 1977 after serving as a Major and hand surgeon for the Air Force at Travis Air Force Base. His technical prowess and his warm, compassionate nature made him a favorite with his patients.

He was also a hand specialist for the Oakland A’s, San Francisco Ballet, and the Golden State Warriors. He a was as an adjunct professor at the University of California San Francisco as well.

“Bill lived with enthusiasm, and carpe diem was his motto. He was intelligent, hopeful, ambitious, hardworking, joyful, and wholly engaged in all aspects of his life. Bill loved life—and wow, what a life he lived,” his family wrote.

Green earned his medical degree from Indiana University and was honored by the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society. He then did an internship at San Francisco General and his orthopedic residency at University of California San Francisco.

He went on to complete a hand fellowship at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.

Green was born on August 4, 1944, in Rushville, Indiana, to Jean Green, a former journalist for the Washington Star and Dr. Frank Green, a general physician. Green spent most of his childhood outside fishing, hunting, golfing, tending to the pigs and shoveling manure around the family farm. He was the youngest of three boys.

He graduated from Rushville High School and then received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University. While there he joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

While in medical school he met his wife Holly Romans on a blind date. They married in December 1967 and raised their children in Kentfield, California. His son William “Scott” Green, M.D. would eventually join his father’s orthopedic practice also as a hand specialist.

When not taking care of patients, Green loved to golf and was a member of the San Francisco Golf Club, Bohemian Club, Stockfarm Club, and Lagunitas Country Club. He also loved to run and fish and after he retired, he wrote a book, “The History of Stockfarm and More.”

In 1999, Green and his wife bought property in Hamilton, Montana, and built a home on the river they dubbed “Grizzly Green.” They loved hosting family and friends there. After retiring they moved there full-time.

Giving back to others was also important to Green. He volunteered as a medical missionary with Operation Rainbow, traveling to Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Ecuador. He also volunteered for The Guardsmen when he was younger.

He is survived by his wife Holly; his brother, John C. Green and his wife, Tracey; his children Aimee Logan, Mimi O’Connell, and Scott Green, and his six grandchildren, Brooke, Briar, and Cole O’Connell and Lily, Annabelle, and Will Green.