Phyllis Avery Olin

Phyllis Avery Olin, a Charlottesville resident for 19 years, passed away peacefully at the age of 97 on June 3, 2022. Born January 7, 1925, she grew up in LeRoy, New York, and was the daughter of Carol Baker Avery and Thomas Harold Avery who preceded her in death. In 1944, she married James “Jim” Randolph Olin, a marriage that lasted until his death in 2006. Her younger sister, Yvonne Gantley survives her, as do four of her five children. Her second child, Thomas Avery Olin, predeceased her in 2016.

A precocious child, she graduated valedictorian from LeRoy High School at the age of 16 and attended Cornell University, where she met her husband, Jim. In order to marry him when he graduated from Officers’ Candidate School, she completed her studies early, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in October 1944 at the age of 19.

After Jim’s service in the U.S. Army, he took a job with General Electric Company (GE) in Schenectady, NY, where their first home together with baby Richy, was a rented bedroom. Their next home was a woodshed that had been turned into a cottage.

Both Jim and Phyllis were firm believers in civic responsibility and participation. In Schenectady she became active in the League of Women Voters. While preparing to vote for the county Democratic Party Committee position, she noticed that no one was listed on the ballot for their district. So, she wrote in Jim Olin, and her single vote was enough for him to be elected and thus began his life in politics. Jim eventually became Rotterdam Town Supervisor and Phyllis became a member of the local School Board. She soon realized that supporting her husband’s activities in the Democratic Party was in conflict with leadership in the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization.

In 1963, Jim’s job with GE took him to Erie, PA. Phyllis followed another of her many passions and completed a multi-year effort to obtain a master’s degree in Psychology from Syracuse University. For several years, starting in Scotia with five children at home and finishing in Northeast with four, she traveled up to two hours each way at least weekly to obtain her degree. After completing her master’s degree, she taught psychology at the Behrend Campus of Penn State University and was a psychologist for the Erie County Public Schools.

In 1968, Jim accepted a substantial promotion and transfer to the GE plant in Salem, VA, and the family moved to Roanoke, VA, where they lived for the next 35 years. There Phyllis worked as a child psychologist for Total Action Against Poverty (TAP), known for its Head Start Program. At TAP, Phyllis set up a volunteer program that employed activity kits that she designed to help young children develop basic skills. The program was very successful and helped her form connections with many parts of the Roanoke community. She also served on the Roanoke Planned Parenthood Board, ran for the Roanoke City Council, and was a founding member of the Child Health Improvement Program (CHIP).

After Jim retired from GE in 1982, he embarked on a second career and was elected to the U.S. Congress for ten years (1983 – 1992) representing the sixth district of Virginia. Phyllis’ connections and experiences in Roanoke were very helpful in his campaigns. His time in Congress was a new era in their lives—they rented an apartment in Alexandria, VA and spent much of those ten years commuting together back and forth to Roanoke.

In Washington, D.C., she became involved with Peace Links, an organization that educated people about the dangers of nuclear proliferation and worked with Russians to diminish the risk of war. She was a member of the Peace Links Board of Directors, and during a summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva in 1985, she was one of the representatives of Peace Links that met with Gorbachev.

In 2003, the Mayor of Roanoke proclaimed January 31, 2003 as Phyllis Carol Avery Olin Day in recognition of her many accomplishments and contributions to the Roanoke Valley community.

Phyllis was active in several Unitarian Churches. First in Schenectady teaching youngsters in Religious Education and then in Erie and Roanoke churches directing the church choirs. She also directed a choir at the Colonnades Retirement Community after moving to Charlottesville. As a pianist, she enjoyed performing as an accompanist and in two-piano recitals. She and her husband were supporters of the cultural and performing arts throughout their lives. Her legacy in music lives on as two children and a grandchild became professional musicians, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren love singing and playing instruments.

She traveled broadly with her husband and family, exploring different cultures on six continents, always studying the countries’ languages before the trip. In 1966, she camped throughout Europe for nine weeks with a friend and their combined eight children. She and Jim loved outdoor family activities that included camping, canoeing, swimming, and sailing, as well as a “mean game” of badminton in the back yard.

In addition to her sister Yvonne, she is survived by four children: Richard Olin (Dianne Martin) of Charlottesville, VA, Katherine Milliken (Bruce) of Southampton, NY, James Olin (Jane Marvine) of Phoenix, MD, and Kristina Santry (Arthur) of Arlington, VA; daughter in-law Janet Kyle Olin of Brooklyn, NY; eleven grandchildren: Marc Dentico-Olin (Deborah), Jennifer Bartlett (Terry Fortunate), Scott Milliken (Maria), Julia Milliken, Christine Milliken, John Olin (Rebecca), Chad Olin, Hannah Olin (Emmanuel Georganas), Arthur Santry IV, Alexa Santry, Richard Santry; and seven great-grandchildren: Marc-Charles Olin, Aidan Bartlett, Nathan Bartlett, Nolan Milliken, Rowan Milliken, Claire Olin, and Olivia Olin.

The family wishes to thank Hospice of the Piedmont and the staff at The Blake at Charlottesville for the compassionate care they provided Phyllis at the end of her life.

A service will be held at the Greencroft Club in Charlottesville (575 Rodes Drive) at 3:00 on July 9. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Garth Newel Music Center (https://www.garthnewel.org/support-us/#donate), Planned Parenthood (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/), or a charity of your choice.