Charlie Olsen
Help us celebrate Charlie! Please share your stories and photos, and invite others who remember Charlie.
Charlie Olsen, 94, went home on 12/25/2020. A long time Villages resident and Blauvelt NY prior, Charlie was a WWII vet, self-taught harmonica player, avid golfer, and an all-around simple, fun, non-judgmental guy. He will always be remembered for his wit ("Popisms"), love of family, and ability to fix anything! He leaves behind his loving wife Louise of 71 years, 8 children and their spouses: Helen (John), Christina (Mark), Charles (Debbie), Virginia (Pat), Kenneth (Pia), Steven (Arlette), Edward (Jackie), Thomas (Vicki), 26 Grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.
Charlie was born in the Bronx on 2/12/26 and retired after 26 years from Otis Elevator as a Mechanical Supervisor. Longtime friends recall his ability to pull out his harmonica and just start playing whether it was at a party, on a bus, in the subway or in the shopping mall. Among the many fond memories of Pop, his grandchildren recall him dressing up as Santa every Christmas and walking around the neighborhood singing carols. He had many tricks up his sleeve and was quick to baffle the grandkids with magic paper, blowing up his muscles with his thumb, along with teaching them all about the tools in his workshop and making things. When we smell machine oil, Listerine, or Stetson we will always think of Pop.
Services provided by Beyers Funeral Home in Lady Lake will be private. A catholic mass w/ Military Honors will be celebrated on Thursday 12/29/2020 at 8:30am St. Timothy's Church, The Villages. His final resting place is Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in Charlie's honor to Operation Homebound, a ministry of North Lake Presbyterian Church (352) 409-0562 www.northlakepc.org/ministries/operation-homebound, St. Jude's Children's Hospital www.stjude.org