Obituary of Marian Olson

Marian E. Olson of 175 Aldren Avenue, Jamestown and 345 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, died Monday August 26, 2013 surrounded by her loving family in WCA Hospital at age 88. She had been diagnosed 19 years earlier with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. She was born August 6, 1925, daughter of the late Theodore and Lily Swanson Erickson, in Jamestown, where she lived most of her life. She was the wife of Harry L. Olson, whom she married December 22, 1979 in Jamestown in Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Dr. Wilton Bergstrand officiating. She graduated from Jamestown High School in 1942 and from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in 1946 and with a B.S. in Nursing in 1947. In later years she received a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision of Adult Education from Boston University. For several years she worked as the Nurse-in-Charge of the Mansfield Clinic in Waterville, Maine and upon returning to Jamestown took the position of Director of the Jamestown School of Practical Nursing. During her 13 year tenure, she was instrumental in securing accreditation of the school by the National League of Nursing. She also served as Secretary and the Chairwoman of the NYS Council of Practical Nurse Programs. Traveling to California, she received advanced training at the San Diego Institute for Transactional Analysis with Dr. Hedges Capers and other leaders in the field, forming MA*HA*TA Center for Growth and Change with Dr. Harry Glatz in 1972. For several years they taught courses in "TA" to various groups at local churches and at JCC, and sponsored annual workshops by Dr. Capers at Peak and Peek. Mrs. Olson was a frequent speaker for civic and professional organizations and was a featured speaker at the Annual Meeting of the NYS Robert Morris Association. For several years following her training, she was also a personal and group therapist and Marriage Counselor in the area. Following her retirement from the School of Practical Nursing, she joined Ridge Consultants in Cazenovia, NY as a consultant in Management Skills, working with many Fortune Five Hundred companies including Eastman Kodak, Apple Computer, IBM, Met Life, Sterling Drug, PepsiCo, Mobil Oil and others. She also worked in the non-profit sector serving health care organizations,, schools and the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. From 1984-87 she served as President and CEO of Bigelow's Department Store in downtown Jamestown, responsible for the operation of the full-line independent department store. She enjoyed traveling in this country and abroad with her husband and her family, spending time in Europe and Sweden as well as Canada, the Holy Land, Hawaii and China, and also cruising through the Panama Canal and the Caribbean. While she was a busy working mother, her family and their happiness and well being were most important in her life. For many years she arranged a family reunion with her daughters and their families, and was an active participant in the Olson Family Reunions. She was very proud of her Swedish heritage, and especially of her parents who served as loving and generous role models for her and her daughters, as well as for the rest of the family. Her father, Ted, passed away February 1, 1979, and her mother, Lily, passed away August 19, 2000. After her retirement, she and her husband spent winters in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, residing at the Spring Tide Apartments where she served as Secretary of the Board of Directors. They were members of the First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, First Presbyterian Church in Jamestown and former members of Zion Covenant Church. She was formerly a member of several professional organizations and has been a member of the Norden Women's Club and Moon Brook Country Club for many years. Among her many interests, in addition to making time to spend with family and friends, she enjoyed reading, classical music and cheering on various golfers and the Boston Red Sox. In addition to her loving and beloved husband, Harry, she is survived by her five cherished daughters and their families, two stepdaughters and two stepsons and their families: Andrea Beresford and husband Peter of Novato, CA and their daughters Susan of San Francisco and Megan of Novato, CA; Martha Lappin of Reston, VA and daughter Kimberly Teplitzky of Pittsburgh, PA, and her son Benjamin Teplitzky of Minneapolis, MN; Melinda Zipin and husband Matthew of Philadelphia, PA and their daughters Kate of North Anover, MA and Laura of Portland, OR; Camilla Johnson and husband Matthew of Ithaca, NY and her tow sons Daniel of Ithaca, NY and David and his wife Lara of Los Angeles, CA; Sonya Umstot and husband Randall of Cumberland, MD and their daughters Justine and Maribeth at home. Her stepchildren include Thomas Olson and wife Teri of Sylvania, OH and his children Adam Olson and Erin Olson, both of Galloway, OH; Sue Weigman, husband Brice of Angelica, NY and their two sons Alex and Andrew at home; Sally Olson of Angelica, NY and her daughter Melissa at home and Robert Olson wife Beth of Jamestown and their tow sons Nicholas and Erik at home. Her five step great grandchildren are Olivia Ann, Alexa, Christa Marie, Brenden Michael and Miranda Olson all of Galloway, OH. She is also survived by her brother Warren Erickson wife Betty of Jamestown and Palm Harbor, FL as well as their children Steven, Julie, Michael and Andred with whom she had a special relationship. She is also survived by Harry's brother James Olson and wife Joyce and Harry's sister Donna Smith and husband Richard. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in Bellinger Chapel of First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Wendy Heinz will officiate. Burial will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery. Friends will be received from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday in the Lind Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Roswell Park memorial Cancer Institute, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or First Presbyterian Church, Jamestown. You may light a candle in remembrance of Marian at www.lindfuneralhome.com