Harvard Newton Ollar

Harvard Newton Ollar died Wednesday morning, April 21, 2010, at River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace. He was 89 and a long-time resident of LaPlace. He was born March 29, 1921, in Bennett, Mo., and grew up in the hilly woods of Mark Twain National Forest, later moving to the nearby town of Doniphan to attend high school, where his talent as a standout member of the baseball team earned him an invitation to try out with the St. Louis Cardinals. Following the United States' entry into World War II, he enlisted in the Army as a private, was recommended for Officer Candidate School by his commanding officer, and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was stationed in Alexandria when he met his future bride, Wanda St. Martin, and they became engaged before he left for England. Assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, he landed in Normandy on the second day of the invasion, earning a Bronze Star and a battlefield promotion to captain, then led his troops in capturing a strategic hill in the town of St. Lo, where he was critically wounded. His actions earned him the Silver Star and a Purple Heart. Returning to the United States late in 1945, he married his beloved Wanda and completed his education at Southeast Missouri State College. After receiving his bachelor's degree in history, he moved to Louisiana, where he joined his bride in teaching in the public schools. After moving to LaPlace in 1953, he worked as an operator at the Shell Refinery in Norco before joining the Department of Public Welfare, first as a supervisor with the St. John Parish office and later as a hearing officer with the Department's Appeals Bureau, retiring in 1981. He devoted himself after his retirement to his greatest love, his wife and family, and to his favorite pastime, golf at the Riverlands Country Club, of which he was a charter member. He was a gentle and loving man who spoke kindly about those he knew and whose daily prayer was that he not hurt anyone. He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard Newton and Henrietta Edwards Ollar; brother, Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Ollar; sisters, Fern Ollar, Mabel Ollar Hardcastle and Genevieve Ollar Hurt; and sweetheart and wife of 64 years, Wanda St. Martin Ollar. He is survived by his children and their spouses, Harvard Joseph "Joe" and Jane Ollar, Rebecca "Becky" Ollar and Anthony Caruso, Peter St. Martin Ollar, and William Thomas "Bill" and Kelly Ollar; grandchildren, Lisa Ellington, Steven Ollar, Jeffrey Ollar, Geoffrey Caruso, Laurel Caruso, Melissa Ollar, Christie Ollar, Cameron Ollar and Austin Ollar; four great-grandchildren; and hundreds of cousins, nieces, nephews and other relations. Visitation at Millet-Guidry Funeral Home, LaPlace, on Friday, April 23, was from 8 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, friends and well-wishers are encouraged to make a charitable donation in his memory to the veterans service organization of their choice.