Kenneth L. Olsen, formerly of Smyrna, DE, passed away peacefully at the age of 74, on February 25th, with his family by his side. Ken was born on January 21, 1937 in Superior, Wisconsin to Earling and Olga (Olson) Olsen. Following his graduation from Superior WI Central High School in 1955, he joined the Navy. During his service, he worked as a radio operator and traveled the high seas on the USS Witek: DD-848.
Following his service with the Navy, Ken lived with his sister Marjorie, her husband Wayne, and their children while attending Colorado State College. In 1963, he married Judith Claire (Beebe) Olsen. He graduated in 1964 with a BA in Chemistry and began his first job with Sinclair Oil. Ken’s career took them from Sinclair Oil in Wyoming, to Colorado Interstate Gas in Colorado, and then on to Delaware in 1969 where he started with Getty Oil. While this plant transitioned ownership several times during his tenure, he served as Chief Chemist at the Delaware City, DE plant for 20 years, ending a 40 year career in the oil industry, retiring in 2003. He was very active in the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), serving as Chairman of the D02 Petroleum Committee. He received numerous awards for his work and leadership setting standards for petroleum. He was also an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Elks Lodge of Dover, DE.
Ken was known and loved as a father, grandfather, husband, brother & son, as “Uncle Kenny”, as a golf buddy, and a colleague. He carried a passion for golfing, especially at Garrison’s Lake Golf in Smyrna, DE and Maple Dale in Dover, DE. He loved telling jokes, traveling, watching the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps compete, spending time with his grandchildren and cheering on his Green Bay Packers.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Eugene. He is survived by his daughters Pamela and Melanie, his grandchildren Kayla, Justin and Jacob, his former wife Judith, his sister Marjorie, and his nieces and nephews, Craig, Julie, Lisa, Brian, Chris and Jane.
We would like to thank all of the nurses and staff at Hospice of Cincinnati and especially to Lynn and Lavita for their deep care and compassion for Ken and his family during his final days.
A memorial celebration of Ken’s life will be held in late June, in the Smyrna/Dover, DE area. We plan to play a round of golf in Ken’s honor and gather afterward to eat and have everyone share their personal stories and memories with us. Please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in being contacted directly once the memorial has been scheduled.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to either Melanie’s former drum corps at:
• www.crossmen.org or Crossmen Productions, Inc. 27 San Isidiro San Antonio, TX 78261
OR to his grandson’s Warren County Civil Air Patrol Squadron via:
• Lt. Sandra Ashman, GLR-OH-156, 4700 Handy Way, Lebanon, OH 45036
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