caption resting_place death_date death_place birth_place birth_date spouse yearsactive birthname image article_title name
greer in 1954 peace missouri valley cemetery in anderson in mcdonald county , 28 april 2007 pasadena , california , u.s. fairview , newton county missouri , u.s. 2 april 1917 never married 1949 -- 2003 robert william greer dabbs greer 1953.jpg dabbs greer
 dabbs greer
dabbs greer

robert william `` dabbs '' greer -lrb- april 2 , 1917 -- april 28 , 2007 -rrb- was an american actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years .
his distinctive , southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters , such as westerns .
he also was portrayed on other shows as a minister , and is probably best remembered as the reverend robert alden in nbc 's `` little house on the prairie '' .
earlier , greer had a recurring role as `` coach ossie weiss '' in the 26-episode nbc situation comedy , `` hank '' , which aired in 1965 and 1966 .
