Annette Olsen Fazi

OLSEN-FAZI
Our beloved and treasured daughter and sister, Dr. Annette Olsen Fazi was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October first, 1947. She was the daughter of Stuart Parr Olsen and Birgit Suaning Olsen. She spent much of her early life with her parents and siblings, Patricia and John living in different diplomatic posts around the world from Sweden to France to her mother's native Denmark and later to Colombia, South America, where she graduated from Collegio Nuevo Granada, after which Annette joined her maternal Grandmother in Denmark attending "The Suhrske Home Economics school for a year. Then to Nigeria and Gabon in West Africa. She missed out on Vietnam and Cambodia, when she married Paul Fazi and they went to the Ivory Coast where they both taught English on behalf of the French government, and had their two daughters, Stephanie and Lisa. Eventually Dr.Olsen Fazi returned to academics and earned her Bachelors at Texas State in San Marcos. Then, back in Europe, her Masters Degree at The University of Nice, graduating summa cum laude. Her Thesis was on "Commonwealth English Literature". Finally she received her Docteur des Lettres, also summa cum laude, from one of the oldest universities in the world (established anno1112 )in France, Universite de Montpellier. Her Doctor's Dissertation was "Larry McMurtry : Dilemmes et Paredoxes" written in French. Through all these years she was raising a family with her husband, Paul Fazi, an English professor in Ajaccio, Corsica where she taught Anglophone Literature at L'Universite Pascal Pauli. (Annette's mother-in-law is a "Pauli" and still lives in her nineties in Ajaccio in the winter and in the ancestral 40 room residence in the village of Pedicorte up in the cool mountains during the hot summers.) Dr. Olsen left Corsica (Napoleon's island) and returned to her native USA in 2003 and taught English Literature at LSU at Alexandria for three years. At that time she was offered a position at Texas A. & M. International University, Laredo, lecturing in Literature as well as teaching French. She was thrilled to be back in Texas with her family and came to love and respect both her school and faculty With her professor friend she managed to take twelve twenty one-year old happy French - students to Paris and the South of France and back safely toTAMYU in Laredo. Another trip with French students was taken to French speaking Canada the previous year. Among other accomplishment are the arrangement of a French Movie Festival at TAMIU and a similar function planned for this year with other language movies included publications and presentation of papers at other universities: including in Tunesia where Dr. Olsen was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in 2007-08 and was slated to go again this spring to speak at the university there. Many other prestigious awards have been given her, both at LSU and at Texas A&M International. Annette was preceded in death by her father, Diplomat Stuart P. Olsen, her younger sister, Patricia who died in 2002, and her husband, Paul Fazi in 2008. She leaves her mother, Birgit Suaning Olsen, brother, John Stuart Olsen, his children, Stuart James and Erin Marie Olsen, and her own beautiful family in Ajaccio, Corsica : Daughters Stephanie Emmy and Lisa Marie and five grandchildren, Emily, Stella, and Mike Maldonado and Jessica and Noah Antoine. Also Mother-in-law Lucie Pauli Fazi and sister-n-law, Marise Fazi, Brother-in-law Jean Fazi and family and many other beloved family members in Corsica. Annette also leaves her beloved Uncle John and Carol Suaning and cousins Gregg and Kathy & their families in California and Australia. Her beloved Aunt Lis (Ann) and Uncle Don Johnson and their three sons Don jr.,Bernie and David and their families in Houston and Canyon Lake. Favorite cousin and childhood friend, Dr. Jens Suaning Elmgreen and family and cousin Sven and family in Denmark. Many Olsen and Butterfield families in Utah as well. Also her very special friend and faithful supporter through her long illness, a long time friend of the Canyon Lake Olsen and Johnson families, Professor at TAMIU, Warren Graffeo of Laredo, Texas. Dr. Annette Olsen Fazi passed away Saturday, January 31, 2009. A Memorial Service will take place at Canyon Lake Presbyterian Church, at 230 Shepherd Hill on Sunday, February 15 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Pastor, Dr. Douglas Dalglish and Pastor Donald Ofsdahl will conduct the service.