- Date Of Birth: October 29, 1938
- Date Of Death: November 24, 2015
- State: Michigan
Richard Arthur (“Dick”) Olds, aged 77, died peacefully at Bronson Methodist Hospital surrounded by his family on Tuesday, November 24th after a short but intense fight against acute interstitial pneumonia.
Dick was born on October 29, 1938 in Sturgis, Michigan, son of Frank and Gail (Stephens) Olds and was raised in LaGrange, Indiana on his family’s Jersey farm. He began to keep a diary in childhood, which he maintained throughout his life. He enjoyed charting the daily weather and was an avid and dependable “keeper of records”. Upon graduating from LaGrange High School, Dick attended Western Michigan University. He joined the army a short time later, and returned to WMU in ’64 to complete his Bachelor’s degree in Business. During the Vietnam War, he served in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He worked for United Airlines for several years and, in 1966, joined the Upjohn Company where he was employed for 29 years, retiring in 1997.
Dick was a people person. He loved history and liked to learn about people and their backgrounds. He often scoured city records for information about Kalamazoo landmarks (such as his daughters’ houses), and he thoroughly enjoyed the historical walks offered by Gazelle Sports. He was an active member of the Kalamazoo Genealogical Society, tracing and documenting his ancestry back to the Mayflower and beyond, as well as that of his wife, Nancy. Dick and his LaGrange High School classmates were a tightly knit group, and Dick attended class reunions religiously through this year. He is credited with keeping the “Huachuca Warriors” in contact. “Roan”, as he was known to his Army buddies, was the “glue that held [them] together” after getting out of the army.
Dick was a long time member of the First United Methodist Church. He loved to ride his bike, care for his beautiful grounds, visit the farmland in LaGrange, listen to and sing along with records, climb trees and spend time with his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, James Olds in 2014. On June 16, 1973, he was united in marriage to Nancy L. (Oswalt) Olds who survives. Also surviving, 2 daughters, Rebecca (Ian) Edmonds of Kalamazoo and Caroline (Jonathan) Holden of Tallahassee, FL; 4 grandchildren, Georgia, Samuel, Madeline, and Oliver; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
