On Feb. 17, Mary Cecelia Olsen, 84, was freed from the clutches of Alzheimer’s to be with God.
She was born in North Whitefield on Nov. 22, 1921, to Capt. Charles Marshall Tobin and Elizabeth Luke Tobin.
Mary graduated from Gardiner High School and continued her education at the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary in Portland.
After receiving her nursing degree, Mary answered her country’s call and joined the U.S. Army Nurses Corps and was stationed in England during WWII. She was very proud to be a lieutenant.
After she returned to the United States, she married Marine Corp. Technical Sergeant Harold “Hack” Olsen of East Boston, Mass. on Feb. 9, 1948.
Her career included nursing at Togus Veterans Hospital, the former Augusta General Hospital, and for the City of Augusta.
Mary enjoyed traveling around Maine as an educator for the Tuberculosis and Health Association, which is now the Maine Lung Association. She was the Health Officer for the Town of Whitefield for many years.
Mary was a member of the St. Denis Altar Society, and the Whitefield Historical Society.
As a girl, one of Mary’s least favorite chores on the family farm was to get the cows in at the end of the day. Making the best of it, Mary would jump from her perch on the fence and get a ride to the barn on the last cow that made its way through the gate.
One of Mary’s exciting childhood adventures was as a stowaway on her father’s ship. When she needed the care of an eye specialist in Boston, her father, who was a lightship captain, stowed Mary onboard on a trip to Massachusetts. As luck would have it, federal inspectors boarded the vessel for a surprise inspection. The crew successfully took turns hiding Mary in order to keep her from being found.
Mary’s home was always open to all, from her children’s friends to many people in need. The dinner table was always the place for open discussions, where guests found themselves involved in various topics. Whether with friends, family, or fellow workers, you always knew where Mary stood on the subject at hand.
Mary always kept herself busy, from fund raising for St. Denis Church, to helping the staff at her final home, The Maine Veterans Home.
Mary loved dancing, especially ballroom dancing. Sometimes this was a problem for her husband Hack, who had breathing problems. Unable to keep up, he often asked her if she was trying to kill him!
Mary was predeceased by her mother and father; husband, Harold “Hack” Olsen; daughter, Karen Olsen Wheeler; brothers, Charles H. Tobin and Joseph Tobin; sisters, Vi McCormick, Margaret Chase, and most recently by her sister Denyse Stultz.
Mary is survived by her sister-in-law, Edna Tobin of Waterville; daughter, Maureen and husband Dick Chase of Whitefield; sons, Kevin Olsen of Louisville, Ky., and Wm. Eric Olsen and girlfriend Beth Nasberg of Manchester; son-in-law, Bruce Wheeler; grandchildren, Jacob, Raymond, and Bridget Chase, and Nickole and Erin Wheeler; numerous nieces and nephews; and many friends, especially at the Maine Veterans Home in Augusta.
Our family is blessed to have had the loving staff at the Maine Veteran’s Home in Augusta care for Mary these past few years. Their kindness will never be forgotten.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Activity Fund at the Maine Veteran’s Home in Augusta.
There will be no visiting hours.
Our family, along with the family of Mary’s sister Denyse Stultz, who passed away Jan. 25, will have a Mass of Christian burial at 9 a.m., Thurs., March 1 at St. Denis Catholic Church, North Whitefield; a gathering of family and friends will follow.
A burial will be held at a later date at the Maine Veterans Cemetery in Augusta.
Arrangements are under the care of Staples Funeral Home, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner.
Our grief is love with nowhere to go…
