Mrs. Olive (Tinniswood) Roen

Born in Liverpool, England on September 24, 1937, to Elizabeth May (nee Ellis) and William Robert Tinniswood, Olive was the oldest of three siblings. She is survived by her son Charles Roen, daughter Elizabeth Roen and son-in-law Jamie Lantinen; grandsons Jacob and Colby Lantinen; her brother and sister-in-law David and Brenda Tinniswood; her nieces Alison Collins, Catherine Wootten (Philip McGee), Rachel (Mike) Lynch, and Jenny (Rob) Maude; her nephew Paul (Pauline) Wootten; and her grandnieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister and brother-in-law, Jane and George Wootten, and her husband the Reverend John Randolph Roen, known as Jack.

Olive received her diploma in nursing from the Liverpool Royal Infirmary in 1958 and she added certifications including in Midwifery and Tropical Disease Nursing. An intrepid international traveler throughout her life, Olive took a position as the Nursing Sister for the Anglo-Ecuadorian Oilfields Hospital in Ancon, Ecuador in 1961. She met Jack, an Episcopal Minister working in Guayaquil, when he officiated Anglican services at the oil fields. After completing her contract and returning to Liverpool she was invited back to Ecuador in 1967 to serve as the Public Health Nurse at the Centro Communal Ximena, sponsored by the Episcopal Church, allowing her to reunite with Jack. Olive and Jack married on May 31, 1969, in San Gabriel, California. Jack’s niece Elene Chamberlain was Maid of Honor and Elene’s husband Robert Chamberlain was Best Man. Olive and Jack resided in Ecuador until moving to San Antonio, Texas in 1972 when Jack became an associate rector at St. Marks Episcopal Church.

Olive had to restart her higher education due to the State of Texas not recognizing her nursing credentials. While raising Charles and Elizabeth, and working part or full-time, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1981, a Masters of Science in Nursing (with honors) in 1984, a certificate in Women’s Health Care as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in 1987, a Masters of Science in Public Health in 1991, and a Doctorate of Public Health in 2000, all awarded from the University of Texas Health Science Center. Olive worked at the Nix Memorial Hospital (1976 - 1983), Methodist Hospital (1983 - 1984), San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (1984 - 1989), University of the Incarnate Word School of Nursing (1989 - 1990), and Medical Center Hospital (1989 - 1992). From 1993 to 2000 she was a Senior Research Assistant at the San Antonio campus for the Center for Health Policy Studies at the UT Health Science Center Houston School of Public Health.

Olive was widowed on May 20, 1996, when Jack died from cancer complications a little over a week before their 27th wedding anniversary. After receiving her DrPH in 2000, and with both children now adults living independently, Olive moved across the state of Texas to take an assistant professorship position with the Graduate Community Health Nursing Initiative at the University of Texas at El Paso. After retiring in 2004, Olive returned to San Antonio and was an active community member. She volunteered at the Texana Branch of the San Antonio Public Library; she was a certified World Heritage Ambassador for the City of San Antonio’s World Heritage office; and she served for over a decade as a volunteer for the San Antonio Airport Ambassadors Program.

Olive traveled extensively throughout her life including during retirement. One story she recounted was cashing in her first-class return plane ticket from Ecuador to the United Kingdom at the end of her contract in the 1960s and using the funds to travel north through South, Central and North America, cross Canada from west to east coast by train, and embark on the brand new Queen Elizabeth the Second cruise ship in New York to return to Liverpool. Later in the 2000s, Olive returned to Ecuador, joined an archeological dig in Albania, visited Ukraine, and traveled across Central Asia with the organization Road Scholar to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Iran. She also visited friends and family in the United Kingdom regularly. When at home, Olive was an avid reader and accomplished knitter, sewer, and embroiderer. She made many handmade blankets and other gifts for her grandsons and others over the years.

Olive will be remembered and missed by her friends and family for her intellect, wit, and sense of adventure. No public memorial is planned. For those wishing to make a contribution in her memory, Olive requested memorial donations be made to the Olmos Ensemble or the San Antonio Philharmonic.