George Arthur Olsen

 George Arthur Olsen, age 100, passed from this life on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, in Weatherford, Texas. Born on July 13, 1925, in Manhattan, New York, he was the son of Arthur Olsen and Nellie (Smith) Olsen.

 George is survived by his sons, Karl and Pete; his grandchildren, AJ, Liz, Ryan, Connor, and Niki; and his great-grandchildren, Cale, Colsen, Tyler, and Delilah.

 He was predeceased by his parents, Nellie and Arthur; sister, Eileen; wife, Vivian Olsen; and sons, Art and George.

 Dad was an incredible father.

 My parents met in 1951 when my mother dropped one of her gloves, and Dad was the knight in shining armor that rescued the glove and stole her heart. They were married for 71 wonderful years. You could see how much they loved each other every time they met or said goodbye. Along the way Mom and Dad had four boys, and our parents made sure that we would turn into strong, independent, and patriotic men.

 Dad was always my hero! He was the enforcer that encouraged us to excel in academics, athletics, and life. He had high expectations and we always met them. He taught us to be humble, and let your deeds do the talking. 

 As a successful engineer at Grumman Aerospace, he usually brought home tons of paperwork to review and sign. Even though he had worked all day and still had to take care of all that paperwork, he always found time to coach our teams, play catch, or play “stolen bases” with us. With four boys playing seven different sports, he always found time to make it to our games. 

 I remember one time on vacation when we were working on free throws. I was happy if I made eight out of 10. Dad made 100 free throws in a row. When my father was 12, he was stricken with polio. At 5’7”, with a left arm that he couldn’t raise over his head, Dad made the JV basketball team at CCNY.

 In 1950, City College won the NCAA Division I National Championship and the NIT tournament! A feat that will never be matched because you can’t play in both tournaments anymore. Dad loved his St. Louis Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers, so of course I did also. I remember going to Shea Stadium and yelling “Let’s go Cardinals” while 30,000 Met fans were chanting “Let’s go Mets.” I always wanted to be like my dad.

 Dad loved to play golf almost as much as he loved my mother and “his Boys.” When my parents moved to Virginia, he played golf over 300 days a year for many years at Ford’s Colony. An amazing feat considering how much it rains in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

 Over his hundred years, he had seven “holes in one,” won the Pop Scott Tournament almost every year in a 35-year period, and took first place most years in the Grumman Golf League. In his 70s and 80s he shot his age on many, many occasions. 

 My father never gave up. Even after he had a double compound break and nerve damage on his good arm, he got back to playing golf when he was 93 years old. Many of my fondest memories were playing golf with my hero. 

 My father was an amazing man, and we will miss him dearly!

  A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Chapel, 913 North Elm Street, Weatherford, Texas 76086.

https://www.galbreaithpickard.com/