Wayne William Olansen

Born on February 8, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York, Wayne spent his career as a civil engineer with Con Edison in New York City. He and his wife raised their family on Long Island before retiring to Williamsburg, where they enjoyed their life together.

Wayne had a passion for cars and dogs. He was known throughout his Williamsburg neighborhood for his Volkswagens, which he decorated each Halloween and 4th of July to the delight of neighbors, young and old. It became a tradition that the community looked forward to every year. And he was regularly seen around the neighborhood walking his dog, Freya, and more recently, Willow.

He loved being on the water—boating and fishing in the Great South Bay were among his greatest pleasures, as was time spent on the beach at Robert Moses State Park. A kid at heart, Wayne never lost his sense of wonder and play. He enjoyed remote control cars, drones, and vintage video games, especially Vectrex.

Wayne was the family clown, always ready with a joke or a goofy stunt. He was "famous" for pretending to pull off his finger and sticking things up his nose—antics that never failed to get a laugh, no matter how many times the family had seen them.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Virginia (née James) Olansen; his son, Nathan Olansen, and daughter-in-law, Stephanie Smith; four grandchildren, Jennifer, James, Ellen Grace, and John Olansen; and his faithful companions, Willow the dog and K.C. the parrot.

A family gathering and celebration of Wayne’s life will be held at a future date and time to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Heritage Humane Society, 430 Waller Mill Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185, or online at heritagehumane.org.