Olive Emily Wilhelm

Born July 11, 1930 in Anna, Illinois, the only daughter of William Floyd and Alice Margaret (nee Cook) Wilhelm. The family moved to Kansas City, Missouri in the 1940's and shared a house with her Aunt and Uncle B. Irene (nee Cook) and Oscar Edwin Nelson. After her father's death in 1965, Olive cared for her mother and remained in the same house until sometime after her mother's death in 1983.

Being an accomplished genealogist, Olive was a member of many different genealogical societies including the Daughters of the American Revolution. She learned her skills from her mother and grandmother and was happy to be named after her grandmother, Olive Emily (nee McClure) Cook. Though growing up she wished it was Emily Olive to avoid the Popeye & Olive Oil teasing. Over the years Olive and her mother took many road trips trying to find ancestors in southern Illinois, spending hours poring over records in courthouses and libraries. She would continue this tradition in later years with her niece and grandniece, Tanya (nee Wilhelm) and Christine Maggs.

While she was instrumental in tracing family lines back generations, she was always disappointed to never come across a family scandal.

She will be remembered for her love of family history, her collection of wigs (the girls), and her love of cats and cemeteries.

Olive was predeceased by her parents and only brother Floyd Edwin Wilhelm; nephews John Thomas and Lee Nelson Wilhelm; and grandnephew Daniel Coker. She is survived by her daughter, with whom she connected with in later life, Marilyn Corley Gondolf; grandson Brent Corley; great-grandchildren, John, Alexa and Brooklyn; nieces Marsha Evans, Tanya Maggs and Martha Falsetta; grandnieces Kimberly and Christine Maggs and Trisa Haisma; grandnephews Mario and Alexander Falsetta; and cousin Cindy Nelson Morris.

Burial will take place alongside her parents and brother at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri.