Janet Ollinger

Janet Ollinger, 68, passed away July 17th, 2015. Born October 17, 1946 to Jack (d 2013) and Ruth (d 1973) Ollinger in Salt Lake City, Utah, she graduated from Highland School, then went on to the University of Utah where she graduated with an Honors degree in Chemistry in 1969. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi, and was also a member of the Beehive Society. After graduating from the U, she received a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois with a National Institutes of Health Traineeship. She earned a certificate in business management from Wharton. Most of her career was with the Rohm and Haas Company, then a major chemical company headquartered in Philadelphia. She began working at a time when women were beginning to enter the workforce in greater numbers, and she was the first female PhD chemist in Rohm and Haas' Research Division. She distinguished herself with two patent applications the first year, and was awarded nine patents altogether. Her career progressed through management. The highlight of her career was being in charge of a multi-company project that resulted in savings at Rohm and Haas of a thousand jobs and a business with $500 million annual sales. For that work, she was honored with the rarely given Chairman's Award, the highest honor bestowed by the company. The last years of her career were as a consultant with her own firm, with large and small chemical companies and food industries as her clients, including being the regulatory consultant for the US mushroom and sesame industries. She dedicated her career to helping farmers grow their crops. In her field she was known around the world for her honesty, integrity, dedication, and excellence, values instilled by her beloved father. She loved the outdoors, especially hiking in the Utah mountains and the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. She was a competitive tennis player and enjoyed coming back to Utah to ski. For work and pleasure she travelled extensively and enjoyed experiencing other cultures. Utah, particularly Salt Lake City, remained prominent in her life. For many years her aunt and cousins had family reunions in Park City over the fourth of July. The memories of those times and the relationships with the survivors had a special place in her heart. Later, she spent many wonderful weeks every year visiting her father in Salt Lake during the last years of his life. During that time she enjoyed knowing the residents and staff at Park Lane and also meeting Mark Edwards who took her father to lunch with his friend Dick Kimball. She appreciated the support of her friends. Life-long, cherished friendships were made at Hillside Junior High and Highland High, especially those with Jane Edwards, Carolyn Cromar Oakason, Joyce Coulam Swofford, and Kathy Terrell Tatro. In graduate school, Don Mueller became a life-long friend and he was like a brother. After leaving Rohm and Haas, she continued to enjoy time with dear friends, especially Beth Miller, Dennis Patterson, Kathy and Glenn Carlson, and was grateful to have the friendship of Dianne Magee. She is survived by her sister, Susan Ollinger Sneddon, her brother-in-law, Murray, as well as her nieces Heather, Heidi, and Penny and their children.

A visitation for Janet will be held Tuesday July 28th, 2015 from 11:00am to 1:00pm at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South. Interment to follow at the Salt Lake City cemetery. Please visit www.evans-earlymortuary.com for an online guest book.