Pauline “Olga” Botsis Wieser died May 10, 2021 in Kensington, Maryland after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was ninety-three years old. Olga was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1927 and grew up in Thessalonika, Greece where she lived through the German occupation during World War II. At the beginning of the Greek civil war, in 1945, Olga and her family returned to New Jersey, where her father, Gregory, owned and operated a sweet shop. There, she and her beloved sister Elena lived through the balance of their high school and young adult years with their father and their dear mother, Antigoni.
Olga was passionate about books and reading. She was a true polyglot – fluent in Greek, English, French and Italian – and she served as a translator at the United Nations when she was a young professional woman, living in New York City. In 1956 she met and married an advertising salesman, George Wieser, and they went on to launch their own Manhattan-based literary agency called Wieser & Wieser, Inc. in the late 1970’s. Olga was a talented and successful literary agent who represented a varied range of authors until her retirement in 2003. She also became at heart a New Yorker and lived in the City most of her adult life, until she relocated to the DC area to be with her daughter’s family in 2007.
Olga is survived by her children, George Wieser and Elizabeth Wieser, her son-in-law Philip Inglima and grandchildren Joseph Inglima, Rosalia Inglima, George Wieser and Paulina Inglima.
Olga was a devoted mother and grandmother, and she expressed her love openly and often. She took great pleasure in her grandkids’ successes and always exclaimed “Opa!” when they did something great. A nickname was born and from the beginning of their young lives, she was called “Opa”. Olga loved the fine arts – music, art and theater brought her joy throughout her life. Most of all, she loved her Greek culture and sharing it with her family and friends.
Small in stature, Olga had a large and vibrant presence that filled every room she entered. She was a force for good in the many lives she touched and will remain in our hearts forever.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 5949 Western Avenue, NW Washington, DC, 20015 on Friday, May 14, 2021 at 11:00 am. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://act.alz.org
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