Mary Anna (Thornton) Olsen

Mary Anna Thornton Olsen passed away peacefully at home at Village on the Park in Friendswood, Texas on Aug. 19th, 2017, 4 days after her 95th birthday. Mary Anna Thornton was born Aug. 15th, 1922 in Washington D.C. to Lemuel Brightwell Thornton and Janet Louise Houston Thornton. She graduated from Eastern High School and attended the University of Maryland to study art. She was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority for 50 years, receiving the Order of the Rose. She married her one and only, A.B. Olsen, in 1950 and they spent 50 wonderful years together.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Maj. Aaron B. Olsen and her parents. She is survived by her only child, Linda Olsen Stiles and husband Joe Stiles, her grandson Brad Stiles (Lisa) and great-grandchildren Shannon and Andrew.

Mary was a charter member of Clear Lake Presbyterian Church. She was a faithful member of the Bay Area Military Officer Wives Club, Johnson Center Stamp Club, Bay Area Genealogy Club, PEO, NARFE, and the Clear Lake Stroke Club. Mary was a volunteer at St. John Hospital for over 30 years.

She taught us all three important lessons just by the way she lived: Love everybody, Always be your best and Never give up. Mary never met a stranger and was the great connector of people. She was never seen without her hair perfectly done and her earrings on. She had a stroke in 1992 and was left with broken speech, difficulty reading and writing. She practiced fearlessly to improve her speech and writing over her last 25 years. None of these challenges slowed her down and she was a lovely, giving lady to the very end.

A memorial service will be held at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, 1511 El Dorado, Houston, Tx 77062 on Saturday Sep. 23rd at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Clear Lake Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund in Mary Olsen’s name.