1917
Orville
2008
Orville Olson
April 16, 1917 — January 25, 2008
Orville ?Ole? R. Olson, of Leawood, Kansas, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 25, 2008 at the age of 90.
Ole was born April 16, 1917 in the town of Leeds, North Dakota to Ole Kristen Olson and Tillie (nee) Volden. He was a 1937 graduate of Chillicothe Business College in Chillichothe, Missouri. He married Carol Denslow of Stuttgart, Arkansas on October 22, 1938 in Kansas City.
Ole was a 40-year employee of Trans World Airlines beginning his career in 1937 as a clerk answering passenger letters. When World War II started, he took a leave of absence and learned to fly, then became a pilot with TWA?s Transport Command flying to Egypt and North Africa. On April 17, 1944, he was a second officer on TWA?s first Lockheed Constellation being delivered to the military. Piloted by Howard Hughes and Jack Frye, then president of TWA, the 6 hour 57 minute flight from Burbank, California to Washington, D.C. broke the existing speed record. From 1959 to 1963, he was a Boeing 707 pilot instructor and in the late 1960?s flew the Vietnam airlift. He again trained pilots on the Boeing 747 when TWA began service in 1970. In 1976, Ole was honored by TWA and his fellow pilots with an Award of Excellence in the New York domicile at a ceremony in Vienna, Austria. He returned to flying flights to Europe and to the polar flight between London and Los Angeles. His last flight as a 747 Captain was from London to New York in April of 1977 accompanied by his son, Damon and daughter Diane, a TWA flight attendant.
In the early years of their marriage, Ole and Carol raised and showed cocker spaniels to a national championship level. He wrote the column ?A Letter Home? about his travels as an airline pilot for the Leeds, North Dakota newspaper. Ole worked behind horses in his years growing up in North Dakota and always enjoyed to ride his horse Ginger which he rode in the American Royal parade in 1949. Through the years he wrote articles for TWA publications ?The Skyliner? and ?Flite Facts?, and in 1979 began writing ?The Grapevine? column for Tarpa Topics, the active and retired TWA pilot?s magazine. He enjoyed going to reunions of pilot friends or high school classmates, listening to 1940?s band music and dancing cheek to cheek with Carol. Ole was a loving and devoted husband and father. He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother, two brothers William and Morlin, and his loving wife Carol, with whom he shared 67 years of marriage. He is survived by his three children, son, Damon Denslow Olson and his wife Elizabeth Ann of Stanley, Kansas; daughters Amber Olson of San Diego, California, and Carol Diane Olson and her husband Mitchell of Laguna Niguel, California; grandchildren, Kelly Lorene Olson, Tara Diane Davis, Lindsay Denslow Davis, Nicole Iana Flourie, Annie Carol Denslow Olson and Kourtney Emily Anderson; great-grandchildren, Emily L. Olson and Caston Haithcock.
A gathering of family and friends will be held 2:00 ? 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 5th at D.W. Newcomer?s Sons Johnson County Chapel, 11200 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, Kansas. A celebration of Ole?s life will be 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 5th at the chapel. Fond memories and condolences for the family may be left at www.dwnewcomers.com. The family suggests contributions in Ole?s name be made to Alzheimer?s Association, 3846 West 75th St., Prairie Village, Kansas 66208.
Ole was born April 16, 1917 in the town of Leeds, North Dakota to Ole Kristen Olson and Tillie (nee) Volden. He was a 1937 graduate of Chillicothe Business College in Chillichothe, Missouri. He married Carol Denslow of Stuttgart, Arkansas on October 22, 1938 in Kansas City.
Ole was a 40-year employee of Trans World Airlines beginning his career in 1937 as a clerk answering passenger letters. When World War II started, he took a leave of absence and learned to fly, then became a pilot with TWA?s Transport Command flying to Egypt and North Africa. On April 17, 1944, he was a second officer on TWA?s first Lockheed Constellation being delivered to the military. Piloted by Howard Hughes and Jack Frye, then president of TWA, the 6 hour 57 minute flight from Burbank, California to Washington, D.C. broke the existing speed record. From 1959 to 1963, he was a Boeing 707 pilot instructor and in the late 1960?s flew the Vietnam airlift. He again trained pilots on the Boeing 747 when TWA began service in 1970. In 1976, Ole was honored by TWA and his fellow pilots with an Award of Excellence in the New York domicile at a ceremony in Vienna, Austria. He returned to flying flights to Europe and to the polar flight between London and Los Angeles. His last flight as a 747 Captain was from London to New York in April of 1977 accompanied by his son, Damon and daughter Diane, a TWA flight attendant.
In the early years of their marriage, Ole and Carol raised and showed cocker spaniels to a national championship level. He wrote the column ?A Letter Home? about his travels as an airline pilot for the Leeds, North Dakota newspaper. Ole worked behind horses in his years growing up in North Dakota and always enjoyed to ride his horse Ginger which he rode in the American Royal parade in 1949. Through the years he wrote articles for TWA publications ?The Skyliner? and ?Flite Facts?, and in 1979 began writing ?The Grapevine? column for Tarpa Topics, the active and retired TWA pilot?s magazine. He enjoyed going to reunions of pilot friends or high school classmates, listening to 1940?s band music and dancing cheek to cheek with Carol. Ole was a loving and devoted husband and father. He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him.
He was preceded in death by his father, mother, two brothers William and Morlin, and his loving wife Carol, with whom he shared 67 years of marriage. He is survived by his three children, son, Damon Denslow Olson and his wife Elizabeth Ann of Stanley, Kansas; daughters Amber Olson of San Diego, California, and Carol Diane Olson and her husband Mitchell of Laguna Niguel, California; grandchildren, Kelly Lorene Olson, Tara Diane Davis, Lindsay Denslow Davis, Nicole Iana Flourie, Annie Carol Denslow Olson and Kourtney Emily Anderson; great-grandchildren, Emily L. Olson and Caston Haithcock.
A gathering of family and friends will be held 2:00 ? 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 5th at D.W. Newcomer?s Sons Johnson County Chapel, 11200 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, Kansas. A celebration of Ole?s life will be 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 5th at the chapel. Fond memories and condolences for the family may be left at www.dwnewcomers.com. The family suggests contributions in Ole?s name be made to Alzheimer?s Association, 3846 West 75th St., Prairie Village, Kansas 66208.
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