Obituaries

Walter S. Olszewski

Walter S. Olszewski died on April 23, 2013, at his home in Altadena, Calif. Walter was born Sept. 27, 1916, in Chicago, Ill., the son of Adam and Rose Olszewski. A graduate of Withee High School, he traveled to Washington, D.C., with the Catholic Youth Organization, where he met Eleanor Roosevelt. He was a baker in the CCCs in Wisconsin. Later he would bake a Camp Blue Lake Special cake for his children's birthdays. During WWII, he supervised the building of military tanks at Press Steel. Skilled as a pipe-fitter and welder, Walter graduated from the M.J. Kennedy Electronics School as an electronics specialist. He was a 60-year member of the Chicago Chapter of the Electrical Craftsman. A member of the Masonic Fraternity for over 50 years, he was Master of Lodge Avalon-Damascus No. 888 in 1972. On Aug. 5, 1942, he married Anne M. Olszewski (nee Otrin) of Owen. Early in their married life, the couple lived on their farm in Withee, Wis., after which they moved to the Chicago area. They raised four children in Chicago and at retirement, moved to Jupiter, Fla., to be near their daughter, Jan, and her family. Walter loved to travel and especially enjoyed traveling to Poland and Slovenia with Anne to meet distant relatives. He also traveled for work including a time on the Alaskan pipeline. In 2009, they moved to California to live with their son, Laddie, and his family. Walter is survived by his sons, Adam Olszewski (Joyce) and Laddie Olszewski (Bonita); his daughters, Joanne Olszewski (Peggy) and Jan Drake; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother, Frank Olszewski (Louise); brother-in-law, Frank Dombrowski; sister-in-law, JoAn Olszewski; many nieces and nephews, as well as other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne; his parents; two sisters and a brother. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Willard Walker Hospice Home.

Published April 30, 2013

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