Juliet Greer, who worked for the Tampa Tribune's Pasco edition, had just bought a home in Wesley Chapel.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published March 8, 2004
She had a new house and a satisfying job and was months from completing a master's degree.
By all accounts, good things were happening for Juliet Greer.
The 30-year-old Tampa Tribune reporter, put on life support after a Lake County car crash last weekend, died Tuesday (March 2, 2004) as a result of her injuries.
She came to the area in 2001 from the Asbury Park Press in Neptune, N.J., to write for the Tribune's Pasco County edition, reporting on government in Dade City, San Antonio and St. Leo.
Ms. Greer became a visible presence in the small cities, covering the spectrum of news, from government meetings to street festivals.
Dade City Manager Harold Sample recalled her friendly personality.
"We enjoyed working with her," Sample said. "She would learn and listen and was just fun to be around and talk to, separate and apart from the assignment."
Mary McCoy, the Tribune Pasco bureau chief, said the mood among Ms. Greer's friends and co-workers has been somber but that the community's response is uplifting.
"I think she would be thrilled by being remembered by all of her sources and community members," McCoy said. "We have received such an outpouring."
Ms. Greer recently bought a home in the Chapel Pines neighborhood of Wesley Chapel. About 25 of her friends had gathered there Saturday for a housewarming. As the hours ticked by, they hung out in the garage and started the party, awaiting her arrival.
But while driving home about 4:30 p.m. on State Road 50 in Groveland, Ms. Greer veered across the median in her 2001 Mazda Miata and into the path of a 1998 Cadillac. Police suspect another car might have cut her off.
Ms. Greer was flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center with severe head injuries and placed on life support.
Her family had her organs donated.
Her passenger, friend Hari Babu Aryal, 37, of Baltimore, also was taken by helicopter. He was treated and released.
Ms. Greer earned her bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1995. In addition to her journalism career, she was pursuing a master's in business administration at Saint Leo University. She attended classes on weekends and was set to complete the program in August.
Her sister, Elizabeth Taylor of Tampa, said Ms. Greer was happy with everything that was happening.
"Juliet loved being a newspaperwoman, and she loved going to school getting her MBA, and she loved her new house," Taylor said. "She said to me about a week ago that this is the best she's ever felt in her life."
Ms. Greer recently started an art import business with her brother and had been in Orlando on Saturday for a vendors' show. She was returning from it when the accident happened.
"She was at a good spot in her life," said McCoy, her boss at the Tribune. "She was excited about the communities she was covering and how she was starting this art import business and pursuing her MBA. She was just very happy."
In addition to her sister, Ms. Greer is survived by her parents, Marty and Connie Greer, and brother David Greer, all of Tampa.
A service is set for 11 a.m. Thursday at Beth Israel Cemetery on Indiana Avenue, just east of North Boulevard in Hillsborough County. Beth David Funeral Chapel in Tampa is handling arrangements.
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Saint Leo University announced that Glen and Gail Greenfelder of Dade City have created the Juliet Greer Memorial Scholarship Fund, to support a student's education at the school. The Greenfelders will allow Ms. Greer's family to designate the parameters of the scholarship, a university spokeswoman said. Anyone who wishes to contribute may send donations to Doyia Turner, Saint Leo University, 33701 State Road 52, MC-2266 Public Relations, St. Leo, FL 33574.
