Della S. Greenlee

Della Jean Sharp Greenlee was born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. At age 2 she moved

with her family to Omaha. It was here that she went through school and worked at

Northwestern Bell. It was also here that she met John Greenlee on a blind date and

one year later married him on June 15, 1951.

Her first solo was at age 2 which was the start of a lifetime love of music. Her beautiful

first soprano voice was enjoyed by many throughout the years. She also played piano

and was often the church accompanist in the various congregations in which the couple

served.

The couple’s service throughout their years of church leadership included churches in

Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, back to Kansas and finally in southern California. Along the

way Della was blessed to become mother to three little girls, Suzanne, Allyson and

Jeannine.

After the couple’s call to California, Della began her work at CLU as a Faculty Secretary

in 1976. Her incredible work ethic soon garnered her the position of Secretary to the

President and followed with a promotion to the Development Office where she became

Director of Foundation Relations and Scholarship Development. She was named

Fundraiser of the Year in 1995 by “The Association of Fundraising Professionals for

Ventura & Santa Barbara Counties. The highlight of her professional career. She also

received the 2006 Service to Alma Mater Award, another accolade for her years of hard

work serving CLU and raising millions for the campus scholarships and building

projects. She was seamless in her ability to create strong and lasting relationships with

both the scholarship donors and recipients alike. Della retired from CLU in 2012 at age

82.