"He knew more about who was where, and doing what," she said. "He was in politics, he was a rancher, he was involved with the hospital, he was helping the police. He just was an incredible example of somebody who really cared about his community."

Greenwell served for 14 years on the Hawai'i County Board of Supervisors, the forerunner of the County Council, and later served on the council for four years.

He grew up on the family ranch and eventually led the ranching operation into new enterprises including land development and crops. Among other things, he bought the first civilian Jeep in Kona, and the vehicles became a vital part of ranching operations.

J. Curtis Tyler Jr., a friend who first met Greenwell in 1946, recalls him as generous, creative and energetic. Greenwell ran the family ranching business, but also branched out into orchid farming and grew maile commercially. He welcomed visitors to his orchid operation in an effort to draw in tourists.

Greenwell developed the Kealakekua Ranch Center and managed it from 1951 to 1989, and also founded the Choice Mart Supermarket. Tyler also credited Greenwell with encouraging growth in the area around the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook.

Greenwell also was founder and an investor in the first radio station in Kona, KEKO, which is now KKON.

He served as president of the Hawaii Cattlemen's Association and Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, and in 2002 was inducted into the Hawai'i Paniolo Hall of Fame

Olson said Greenwell's Kealakekua Ranch office in the 1970s became a hub for residents concerned about the loss of Kona's heritage, and Greenwell became the first president of the Kona Historical Society in 1976.

"It was about the early '70s. There was just this explosion of the population and the development started, and that's how the Kona Historical Society got started — we were watching (the old community) all of a sudden disappear," Olson said.

The society, which has grown to about 1,000 members, has its offices in the old Greenwell Store that was founded by Greenwell's grandfather in about 1875. Sherwood Greenwell convinced his cousins that the old store should be preserved and donated for the society headquarters, Olson said.

Greenwell is survived by his son, Nicholas of Captain Cook; daughters Meg Childs of Captain Cook and Anna Revita of Longmont, Colo.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Friends may call at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Christ Church Episcopal in Kealakekua; service at 10. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Kona Historical Society or the Christ Church Building Fund.