Robert A. “Bob” Olsen went barreling into eternity Feb. 8, 2024 at Holy Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill, 62 years after he was born there.
He was preceded in death by his childhood dog Hans, his father Robert J. Olsen, from whom he inherited his Polish nose, and mother, Christina E. (Bartok) Olsen, from whom he inherited his brown curls and hot, Hungarian temper.
Bob was a 1979 graduate of CASHS and held a degree in drafting from Greensburg Institute of Technology . He was employed at White Tail, Ski Liberty, and Olson & Olson before early health related, retirement.
Being an avid historian, Bob loved all things Civil War and World War II related: re-enacting, collecting artifacts, and pointing out inaccuracies in war movies. He especially revered the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagles” soldiers and collected their autographs and memorabilia, with Band of Brothers being his favorite thing to watch. Bob was also a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Bob enjoyed building models, photography, talking like Tony Soprano, and deep-sea fishing near Ocean City, Maryland. He was a diehard New York Yankees fan. Seafood, ribs, and Tommy’s pizza were his favorites and he considered himself a refined epicurean. Bob’s love of animals was apparent with the adoption of his treasured hermit crabs, Joel and Miriam. Additionally, in his spare time, Bob took great pleasure in arguing with people on the phone, hanging up on people, yelling at telemarketers, telling people how to do their jobs, and being right about everything.
Bob is survived by his beloved, beleaguered wife of 40 couple years Geri, his sister Sandra, who always got better Christmas presents, her cat Spencer, whom Bob hated, and dear friends Keith, Marge, Bill, Tom, Ted, and Robert.
Arrangements are entrusted to SimpleChoice Cremation Service, Inc. of Chambersburg. No services are planned, and ash scattering will be private.
