Barbara Olsen

Barb (Reynolds) Olsen, was a vivacious, energetic and beautiful person, inside and out. Her spirited sense of humor made others gravitate towards her, she had more friends than most. Everyone who knew her, loved her.

Barb was born February 5, 1942 to Harold & Dorothy (Shields) Reynolds. As a young child, Barb, along with her sister Marilyn and brother Richard lived on the family farm in Bellevue. Barb’s family moved to Climax as she was going into her junior high years, where she attended Climax-Scotts Schools. Barb enjoyed visiting the casino, vintage glass collectibles, fishing, bowling, camping, amusement rides (Cedar Point) but most of all she loved spending time with her beloved husband, Terry and all of her children. Her family includes her husband of 21 years, Terry; her sister, Marilyn (Reynolds) Chandler; her children: Julie (Mike) Sharpsteen, Renee (David) Cavinder, Deanna (Tom) Leahy, Laura (Joe) Bury, Mike (Kari) McDade, Donald (Liz) McDade, Erik (Kari) Olsen, Clint (Michelle) Olsen, Amanda (Eric) Musson, 27 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren as well as several nieces and a nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Richard Reynolds.

As a young girl, she enjoyed school and participated in many activities, specifically cheerleading. Her family moved to Climax when Barbara was in junior high, it is said that the school was in an uproar as this beautiful girl arrived in its halls, they had never seen anyone so beautiful.

Barbara married the love of her life 21 years ago, Terry Olsen. The two of them enjoyed each other more than anything. Terry brought his three children to the marriage, they loved Barb and she loved them, they were a great addition to her family, giving her a total of 9 children. Terry was a local baseball player, Barb attended every game. They loved to travel and visited many of our states, often times traveling to Arkansas to see her sister Mary, with whom she had a wonderful relationship. The casino was always a favorite thing for Barb, although Terry sometimes thought better of it, he always gave in and they had a great time. Barb also loved to play Keno, often times her daughters would meet her and Grandma Page at a local bar just to play. We all thought our mother was the luckiest person on earth, but Terry always says she never divulged how much she spent to win…(he…he).

Barb’s family called her their built in weather reporter, she always watched all the weather reports and phoned around to make sure everyone was safe! It was definitely the family joke, but we all loved it!!!

A few years ago Barb and Terry got a dog (Suzie); they loved her so much that they also got a dog for Grandma Page, Smoke. Barb had never been too much of an animal lover in the past, so it was wonderful to see the love she had for these two precious dogs. We all remember that 1st birthday party she threw for the dogs, cake, party hats, balloons, party makers and little plates with paws.

In recent years, Barb, along with the help of her husband Terry devoted a lot of their own lives to care for both of her aging parents, Harold and Dorothy, ensuring that both had a great quality of life. When they passed away she was heartbroken, especially when Grandma Page left us in October 2013, she was grieving up to the last day of her own life. She had such a love for her mother, just as her children do for her.

If you were lucky enough to visit Barb at her home you’d never leave empty handed. If she didn’t give you a piece of her beautiful glassware, it was something else; pictures, food just something…it was part of her caring nature.

Barb has two new great granddaughters and a grandson that she was unable to meet, unfortunately these little ones will never get to meet their Grandma Barb, but we will have some great memories to share with them. Barb was all about family and these new additions meant so much to her. That’s the type of person she was, the love for her family was amazing and we all felt it.

I can truly say that most of her children talked to her several times a week on the phone, if not every day. Mom may have been annoyed at times, but she never showed it. We could tell or ask her anything; she was never judgmental and always offered great advice using her own life experiences.

Barb was a career woman, working and retiring from In-Side Sales at the Atlas-Clausing Corporation in Kalamazoo, a career that spanned 31 years of service. Barb’s co-workers thought the world of her, she was smart, understood the business inside and out and did an awesome job building relationships with their customers.

She will truly be missed by those who knew and loved her and those whose lives she touched along the way.

Memorial Service and Luncheon

The family of Barbara (Reynolds) Olsen, Dorothy (Reynolds) Page and Richard (Dick) Reynolds would like to invite all of their friends and extended family to attend a Memorial Service and Luncheon to honor and celebrate these three lives.

Sadly, we lost our loved ones within a very short period of time. Barbara passed away on April 7, 2014, Dorothy on October 16, 2013 and Dick on January 24, 2013.

The Memorial Service and Luncheon will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2014. The Memorial Graveside Service will begin at 10:30 am at the Riverside Cemetery, West Street, Bellevue, Michigan. The Luncheon will begin at 12:30pm at the Climax American Legion, 6101 S 44th Street, Climax, Michigan.

If you are unable to attend the Memorial Service in Bellevue, please join us for the Luncheon at the Climax American Legion.

Thank you!