MOUNT DESERT ISLAND – Craig Greene, a botany professor at the College of the Atlantic for more than 20 years, died at his home Thursday at the age of 54. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for almost three years.

“I’m so proud of the guy and I miss him so much,” Brent Greene, Craig Greene’s twin brother, said Friday. Though the brothers took very different career paths, they always remained close, said Brent, who used to operate nuclear submarines.

“We would take every opportunity to get together,” he said.

When asked to describe his brother in one word, Brent said it was “tough to choose between passionate or enthusiastic.”

“He would always find humor in just about anything,” Brent said. “He had a significant passion for everything that he did.”

Craig Greene was a leading authority on reed grasses and the flora of Mount Desert Island. In addition, Greene conducted several plant inventories for Acadia National Park, one of his favorite places, and was among the botanists who advised the Maine State Planning Office. He also served as a consultant for the Maine Critical Areas Program.

As a professor, he loved field study classes, according to colleague and friend Elmer Beal, who knew Greene for more than 20 years.

Greene was on a scheduled sabbatical and not teaching this semester.”He really delighted in taking students to see his favorite places in the park and on the island,” Beal said.

In his social life, Greene was known for his home-brewed beer and dart-playing skills. He began brewing in college and developed many of his own beer recipes over the years, Brent said. The brews bore such names as Badger Beer, Otter Ale and Brown Trout Ale – a reflection of his love for nature.

“It didn’t taste like somebody’s cidery and imitation beers,” Beal said. “It tasted like good beer that you could buy.”

Though weak from illness, Greene bottled his final batch of beer with the help of friends the week before he died.

Greene also loved to cook and was a devoted husband to his wife, Sara “Bo” Forrestel Greene.

“He made the best waffles on the planet,” Brent said, and also boasted about his brother’s homemade fresh pasta.

Greene also enjoyed spending time with and teaching his son, 6-year-old William, at home.

Physical challenge was a large part of Greene’s life and, even after he was diagnosed with cancer, he would bike more than 50 miles a week.

Those who knew Greene described him as a generous friend who accepted everyone, according to his brother and Beal.

A memorial service is planned for Greene in November at College of the Atlantic.