Michael Olenick

COLUMBIA Michael “Mike” Olenick, 91, of Columbia, SC, husband of Myrtice Johnson- Olenick, passed away Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Richland Memorial Hospital. His funeral service will be held at Spring Valley Baptist Church on Polo Road, Columbia, SC, Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will precede the service beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens immediately following the service. Mr. Olenick, born in New Jersey, is survived by his wife, Myrtice; brother, Samuel Olenick of Victoria, Australia; sister, Eva Kovel of Garnet, PA; his son, William Olenick (Mildred); and daughter, Julie Payne. His grandchildren are Christina Olenick, Rebecca Olenick, and Sara Payne. He is also survived by step-sons Marion Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Danny Johnson and families. He was predeceased by his first wife, Elizabeth George Olenick, and his parents, William and Anna Olenick of Chichester, Pennsylvania. Mr. Olenick was a veteran of WWII and enlisted in the U.S. Army when he was nineteen. He served in France after D-Day, at which time he received a purple heart, and was honorably discharged at the war’s end. An engineering graduate, Mr. Olenick received a B.S. from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was a division engineer with E.I. Dupont Company where he built industrial facilities in the Middle East. He worked at the Dupont facility in Camden until his retirement in 1989. After retirement, Mr. Olenick was an active volunteer in the Mended Hearts organization of the Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, and a mentor for medical students at USC. He was an active member at Spring Valley Baptist Church and also attended Rosewood Baptist Church. Michael Olenick lived a long, love-filled life, and he will be deeply missed by his surviving family and friends.