Olympia Chrystine Fleck

FLECK, Olympia Chrystine, 93, of Midlothian, died February 15, 2010. She was preceded in death by her husband, Col. Harold J. Fleck (U.S. Army, Ret.); her parents, Jan and Caroline Kozik; and two brothers, Mitchell and Stanislaus Kozik. Survivors include her four children, Elizabeth Fleck (Samten Smith), Elaine Fleck (Richard Normand), Michael Fleck (Sherri Fleck) and Donald Fleck (Julie Fleck); three grandchildren, Tai Normand, Blake Fleck and Ellise Fleck; and numerous extended family members, as well as her second family, the residents and staff at Morningside at Bellgrade, where she has resided for the last nine years.

Mrs. Fleck graduated from the School of Nursing at Holyoke Hospital in Massachusetts and in 1941 was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. She worked as a nurse in the Bronx, N.Y. and after the bombing at Pearl Harbor she traveled to San Francisco to help organize a hospital unit that would ship out to Hawaii to care for the wounded of the Pacific Theatre. A dedicated Army wife, she moved 35 times over her 50-year marriage, having lived in many different places including Yokohama, Japan, Salzburg, Austria and West Germany. Mrs. Fleck was an avid reader and knitter, enjoyed crossword puzzles, was an excellent Scrabble player and in the Polish tradition, cooked great cabbage rolls. To the many who knew and loved her she always remained a cheery, outgoing and upbeat person.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 1:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Edward's Catholic Church, 2700 Dolfield Drive. A reception to immediately follow at New Life United Methodist Church, 900 Old Hundred Road. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either: Paralyzed Veterans, St. Edward's Catholic Church or Bon Secours Hospice.