Tryon, NC- Pauline T. Olson, 90, of White Oak Apartments, Oak Street, Tryon, NC, died quietly on August 17, 2007 in her residence. Born November 6, 1916 in Taylorsville, KY, she was the daughter of the late Will and Willie Snider Thompson and widow to Howard Olson who passed away in 2004. She was raised on her family farm and a good student, being the first female from her county to attend and graduate from the University of Kentucky. Mrs. Olson first became a school teacher in Kentucky and later a research statistician at Human Resource Research in Fort Knox, KY and research group manager at Army Personnel Research in Washington, D.C. She married Howard in 1957 in Elizabethtown, KY where the family lived until moving to Annandale, VA in 1962. There they proudly finished raising their five children and sent them all to college. They retired to Tryon, NC in 1979 after falling in love with the town for its culture, climate, and people. It was a wonderful town for their retirement years. While Pauline worked very successfully in a professional career, her real pride was her family. She was an excellent cook passing on many of her skills in cooking, sewing, and gardening to her children. Many fine meals were enjoyed by family and friends at the Olson home. She continued cooking until her last few hours. Those of you who never tasted one of her great dinner casserole dishes have really missed something. She was an avid reader even with failing eyesight and continued to play bridge until her final days. She enjoyed her pets and had either dogs or cats all of her life. She was sometimes a volunteer in Tryon Arts and charities and especially enjoyed the Association of American University Women. Mrs. Olson is survived by her five children; Karl H. Olson and his wife Heather Hagen of Mountain Home, ID, Penelle Olson Chase and her husband Addison of Freedom, ME, Cheryl Olson and her husband David Boyer of Plainfield, VT, Virginia Olson Richardson and her husband Randall Richardson of Tucson, AZ, David T. Olson and wife Joan of Block Island, RI. She is also survived by her ten grandchildren, Brian Olson of Indianapolis, IN, William Olson and his wife Christa of Menlo Park, CA, Phoebe Chase of Belfast, ME, Megan Chase and her partner Ted Lafage of Belfast, ME, Dashiell Boyer-Olson of NYC, Aaron Richardson and his wife Burcu of Bloomington, IN, Rachel Richardson of Davidson, NC, Jeremy Olson of Boise, ID, Aaron Burdin and his wife Shana of Caldwell, ID, and Christen Burdin of Boise, ID. Also surviving are 4 great-grandchildren. Pauline was a woman of great pride and thoughtfulness and will be greatly missed by her family and friends. A memorial will be held Sunday, September 9, 2007 at 3 p.m. in White Oak Village Lounge, Tryon, NC. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Polk County Campus of Isothermal Community College Foundation, 1255 W. Mills Street, Columbus, NC 28722 or to the charity of your choice.
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