Robert W. Olson

Robert W. Olson RACINE – Robert William Olson died unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep on April 8, 2015, less than a month after losing the love of his life, Mary Ruth. He had moved from Racine to Greenville, South Carolina, just two weeks ago to be closer to his children. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. She browses among the lilies.” Now they may tend their gardens together forever. Bob was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1938, to the late Carl Edwin and Helga Elisabeth (nee Amundson) Olson. He grew up in a variety of cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin because his father’s employer transferred him frequently. On August 21, 1965, he was united in marriage to Mary Ruth Clunie at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, after they met and fell in love during a summer program for teachers at Harvard University, the Harvard-Lexington Program. Together they proceeded to share two children and almost fifty beautiful years together. Bob was a born teacher whose energetic, jovial, engaged personality gave him tremendous presence in the classroom. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1956. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in education from Wisconsin State College at Oshkosh and a Master’s degree in education administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bob taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades in several elementary schools in the Racine Unified School District, spending the majority of his teaching career at W. C. Giese Elementary School. In 1987, Bob made the switch from the classroom to working as a principal. He began this phase of his career splitting time between Olympia Brown and Wadewitz Elementary Schools, then spent several years at Caddy Vista Elementary School before moving to S. C. Johnson Elementary School. He retired in 1995, but spent one more year at Winslow Elementary School as a temporary principal. His ability to foster a collaborative, inclusive, and positive environment in which teachers felt appreciated was a hallmark of his gift as an administrator. He worked tirelessly for the benefit of teachers and students alike. One of his top priorities as a principal was reaching out to families of students living in poverty. Often he would go door-to-door visiting students’ families to introduce himself and let them know that every child would be safe and valued in his school. Bob overcame various challenges earlier in life and found tremendous happiness and satisfaction in his loving marriage and through his children’s lives. He did everything he could to provide for his family, even when it meant teaching lots of summer school or taking on an additional job as a security guard. He also cherished the love he received from and gave to Mary’s parents. He spent nearly every moment with his wife; they were inseparable. He liked nothing more than to be “home by Mama.” Especially during retirement, they loved to travel together, particularly to South Carolina to visit Laura and Matt. He enjoyed spending as much time as he could with his children, whether it was playing catch in the backyard with Matt, taking Laura to Chicago, or going to Brewers games as a family. He was also especially proud of his kids’ accomplishments as adults and always told strangers: “These are my children, Laura and Matt. They’re both college professors in South Carolina.” Bob was a hilarious and quirky individual with lots of eclectic interests. He could always be relied upon for a funny quip or unexpected statement. He sang around the house constantly and often threatened to subject others to his “singing,” or worse, his “violin playing.” He was a true do-it-yourselfer who loved working on his car and house and devising creative solutions to complex problems. He also put himself to work on his kids’ homes in South Carolina, taking it upon himself to complete a number of often-unannounced home improvement projects during his visits. As a young man, he won awards for public speaking, dabbled in radio announcing, and throughout his life remained quite an orator. Bob pursued an interest in amateur radio, earning a General Class license. Although he needed his kids’ tech support from time to time, he was interested in technology—most importantly his beloved iPad. Just four days before his death, he set up his own Facebook page. He was an avid reader who also enjoyed television shows about mystery and crime. For years, he kept meticulous records of the game scores for the Brewers, Bucks, Packers, and Admirals. Bob had a soft side that few people ever got to see. He was a hopeless romantic. His favorite movie was The Sound of Music, and in recent years he loved watching Dancing with the Stars. He also was fond of animals (especially Laura’s cats), gardening, keeping his yard in tip-top shape, art museums, and many different forms of music. He is survived, and will be missed and remembered every day, by his children, Laura Ruth Olson and Matthew William (Amy Shelley) Olson; nieces, Sarah Kathleen Clunie and Amy Elizabeth Clunie; and many friends, neighbors, and former students and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Milton Orville John and Geraldine May Clunie; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Thomas John and Deborah Rutherford Clunie. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the funeral home on Monday, April 13, from 5:30-8:00 PM. Bob did not wish to have a formal funeral service, so the family will have a private moment of prayer and commendation for him following the visitation. Memorials may be directed to Atonement-Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Bob’s family would like to thank Dr. Robert W. Brown, Dr. Subbana Jayaprakash, and the Wheaton Franciscan Home Health Care team (with special thanks to visiting nurse Heather), for providing him with excellent, compassionate care. Purath-Strand Funeral Home & Crematory 3915 Douglas Avenue Racine, WI 53402 (262) 639-8000 www.purath-strand.com