Claude Edward Olesen

September 30, 1923 - July 16, 2012

Claude Edward Olesen, 88, passed away Monday, July 16, 2012, at Forks Community Hospital. He and his family appreciated his nurses, and they knew he was a special kind of guy.

Claude will be lovingly remembered as a man of strength and humor, a gentleman and an extraordinary man.

He was a World War II veteran who served his country with honor, then returned to his hometown of Clallam Bay.

He and his wife, Gloria June Rennebohm, who preceded him in death, filled their home and lives with family and lifelong friends.

Born September 30, 1923, in the family home in Clallam Bay, Claude was the third generation of west-end homesteaders to live and work on the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. His paternal grandfather emigrated from Norway, and his maternal grandmother's family was from Germany.

He graduated from the small Clallam Bay School with three other students.

Claude met his wife, Gloria, when she moved from Seattle to live with her Aunt Bessie Bowlby in Clallam Bay. A persistent suitor, he was not deterred by Gloria's mother, Ruby, who shut the door without saying a word when he "came calling". They married in December 1942 when Claude was 19 and Gloria was 17.

He voluntarily enlisted in the Army and left his young bride for boot camp in scorching Texas. Upon returning to Clallam Bay, Claude worked in the thriving logging industry and raised four children.

Claude was a true frontiersman who hunted and fished not only for sport, but to put food on the table. Wild game and seafood filled dinner plates.

He was resourceful and self-reliant, characteristics honed from growing up in the rugged countryside. There are more stories than this space allows about Claude's adventures with bear, deer, and elk.

He left the timber industry to join the Clallam County road department, where he retired after 24 years of service. He operated heavy machinery to maintain roads that led to many of the hunting, hiking and camping trails he knew so well.

His family shares remarkable stories of summers spent at places like Lake Ozette so that Claude, who would be working nearby, did not have the long, tedious drive back to town. Water skiing, swimming and campfire storytelling filled those memorable days.

Claude's "bottle room" was filled with glass bottles and items he dug up from old homesteads throughout the area. He could easily recite where each bottle came from and when it was made.

Friends were always warmly welcomed with gracious hospitality into the Olesen home, where they shared a meal and embellished stories about Northwest people and life. Claude was a colorful storyteller and had an abundant wealth of entertaining tales.

Strong community supporters, Claude and Gloria helped out at the senior citizens' bingo night for many years. Claude's deep, slow voice easily reached the back of the room as he called numbers.

A devoted rhododendron enthusiast, Claude cultivated many hybrids, and he and Gloria nurtured many, many species in their garden. Among their possessions were dozens of ribbons and awards from floral showing throughout the Puget Sound.

In retirement, Claude and Gloria enjoyed extensive travel throughout the USA, including trips to Alaska, first with a caravan of RV friends and then a cruise through the Inside Passage with all four children and spouses.

Claude is remembered by his sons, Steven (Elsie) and Todd (Joyce) Olesen; daughters Leslie (William) Wilson and Claudia (LaVon) Altenhofen; 13 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren, as well as numerous extended family members and many, many dear friends.

He is preceded in death by his brother, Raleigh Olesen; and sisters Lillian Hanson, Myrtle Klahn, Mae Jones, Edith "Babe" Thomas and Pearl Olesen.

Thank you, Dad, for being our very own "Superman" for now and always. Thank you for being the kind of man we were so proud of and whom so many good folks looked up to and loved so dearly.

Our memories build a special bridge when loved ones have to part

to help us feel we're with them still and sooth a grieving heart.

Our memories span the years we shared, preserving ties that bind,

They build a special bridge of love and bring us peace of mind.

Emily Matthews