Obituary of Warren Theordore Olde

He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Margaret (Peggy) S. Olde, his treasure he found so many years ago. They have been residents of Suntree, FL for over 23 years. He is also survived by four of their five sons: Warren T. Olde, Jr. [Connie] of Pennington, NJ; Gordon F. Olde of Suntree; Peter J. Olde (Scott B. Clark) of Miami Shores, FL, and his twin Paul M. Olde [Christie] of Cibilo, TX. Gordon's twin, Gary V. Olde of New York City, NY, passed away in 1992. Col. Olde is also survived by his sister, B.J. Turoff of Arlington, VA and his wonderful grandchildren, including Victoria Olde Voris [Jeffrey], Melissa Olde Wetzel [R.J.], Lisa Olde Gelston [Mark], Gordon Olde, Jr. [Kasey]; Matthew R. Olde [Sarah], Samantha Olde and Paul M. Olde, Jr. Great grandchildren Abigail and Rebecca Gelston, and Malorie Voris also survive him. Col. Olde was born in Elizabeth, NJ on September 4, 1921 to Frederick G. Olde and Lydia S. Olde-Wood, who predeceased him. He attended public schools in NJ, and in St. Louis and Springfield, MO. On July 1, 1942, while employed with Standard Oil Development Company [SOD] in NJ, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a pilot who served on active duty in both WWII flying the B-25 and Korea flying the C-47. He retained his affiliation with the military as an active member of the NJ Air National Guard. Total active and active reserve duty exceeded 22 years. After WWII, Olde returned to work at SOD and attended Newark College of Engineering on educational leave from the company, attaining a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May 1950. He returned to full-time work with SOD [later Esso/Exxon Engineering] and, except for his Korean war recall, was an employee for over 43 years. He retired in July 1985 as acting Assistant General Manager, Project Management Department. Through the years, he held positions of increasing responsibility while developing expertise in engineering, procurement, and construction project management. While home base was in New Jersey, his work took him (often with family) on extended stays in many different locations in the U.S., including Texas, Montana and California, as well as many foreign locations, including France, Germany, England, The Netherlands, Brazil, Venezuela, and Pakistan. Visits to other European and South American locations were also part of his business life. Before overseas flying became the norm, the Olde family crossed the Atlantic six times via the ocean liners America, United States and Rotterdam, twice each. Col. Olde was a life member of the VFW and long-time member of the Air Force Association, American Legion, PAFB chapter of Military Officer's Assoc., and Suntree United Methodist Church. He was also a Master Mason. In 1950, he was elected to the prestigious ODK, The National Leadership Honor Society. In retirement, he was an avid golfer and a founding member of Suntree Country Club and part of the small "group-of-ten" that led the successful effort to acquire the Club as a member-owned facility. He later served on the Club's board and also held numerous committee leadership positions. In his younger years, he was an excellent amateur and semi-pro baseball player with great experiences while playing with high school, college, military, industrial league and county teams. During WWII, he played with his military team against several major league and AAA teams during spring training, but the absolute highlight was his baseball career was in an exhibition game with Hall of Fame pitchers Dizzy Dean and Satchel Paige in July 1944. Later, he always explained that the first time he faced Paige's fast ball, he was struck out on three "aspirin-sized bullets" and walked back to the bench wondering what had happened. Col. Olde has always had great love and respect for his family and this great country of ours. He was as a gentleman of honor and integrity in all his dealings. He will be greatly missed by family and friends alike. Memorial service will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 10:30 AM at Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Foundation at NJIT, Highlanders Athletic Fund, NJIT, 323 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102 or Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Rd. Melbourne, FL 32940. Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.