Gloria Elizabeth Olsen

1928-2019 COLLEGEVILLE, PA Gloria E. Olsen, 91, of San Diego, passed away at the home of her son, Roland Olsen of Collegeville on Monday, December 23, 2019. Born in 1928 in Lakewood, NJ, she was the only child of German immigrants, the late Henry and Karoline (Shmidgall) Heinzmann of Elmhurst, NY. Her father, a Pastry Chef, who worked at the luxury Waldorf-Astoria in New York, worked at high-end summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains where Gloria spent summers as a child helping her mom forage for flowers and herbs and pluck the down from geese to make feather beds. After graduation from Julia Richman High School in Manhattan, Gloria attended Wagner College on Staten Island where she earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing. Gloria's career as a registered nurse spanned approximately 40 years during which time she would continue to expand her medical education and training in various aspects which included ER, Intensive Critical Care, Burn, Shock/Trauma and Disaster training. Her early nursing career included serving in the Women's Army Corps during World War II with summers working in Canandaigua, NY. After marrying and moving to Brooklyn, NY, she worked at the Brooklyn VA medical center. In 1958, her career continued in Rockland County after she and her young family moved to the Hudson River Valley community of New City, NY. Her main focus and expertise was that of an Emergency Room nurse at Nyack Hospital. Near the end of her career she would become a nurse practitioner and med-flight nurse during her employment in the ER at Westchester Medical Center in Westchester County, New York. Always an outdoors-oriented woman, she even took her nursing career (and young son) to a boys' summer camp in the NY Catskill mountains one year. New City was only a short drive to the beautiful New York Seven Lakes region in Harriman State Park, and summers found her and the family at one of the lakes most days. Winter meant skiing and while the entire family skied regularly at the close by Bear Mountain, each winter meant a trip somewhere into Vermont, such as Killington, Woodstock (VT) or Mount Snow. As her children had children of their own, she vacationed with them in the warmer climates including summer and fall weeks in Bermuda; Sanibel Island, FL; the Cayman Islands, and Cancun and included a cruise in the Bahamas where she enjoyed the tropical pleasures of sun, sand, the fish, and her favorite pastimes - shelling, sitting on the beach under an umbrella, floating in the surf of the warm waters and beach combing. While in Bermuda, she loved to order fish and chips once a visit at the Whitehorse Tavern and dump the leftovers into the water with the grandkids and watch the fish feeding frenzy that ensued. But that was it for eating out, as she cooked up meal after meal on the road or at home and no one ever went hungry while she was around. Other travels with her family included Halifax, Nova Scotia where she was able to experience the famous tides at the Bay of Fundy. As a young woman, she traveled to Germany to visit relatives, and as an octogenarian, traveled with her family to Europe where they holidayed and toured in Paris, France; Zurich, Switzerland, Venice and Rome, Italy. After retirement, Gloria moved from New City, to Pacific Beach, a coastal community of San Diego. Her lifelong love of gardening found her in the Pacific Beach Community Garden where she served several terms as the garden chair. San Diego's beautiful weather had Gloria spending quite a bit of her free time in the community garden and assisting new or longtime gardeners. In 1994, to further her knowledge and help others, she became a Master Gardener. For approximately 21 years, into her 80's, she volunteered by manning the Master Gardener Program's Hotline to help San Diego County residents with their horticultural inquiries one or two times a week. Additionally, Gloria served on the boards of two condominium associations where she worked tirelessly until her passing to maintain, improve, and beautify these properties. Gloria leaves three children: Harold A. III, husband of Jenny Olsen of Wellesley, MA; Victoria Q., wife of Steve Jones of Oceanside, CA; and Roland A., husband of Kelley Olsen of Collegeville, PA as well as six grandchildren: Ian and Dylan Olsen, Arielle Jones, and Olivia, Lucy, and Lila Olsen. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her memorial service at the Cattermole - Klotzbach Funeral Home, 600 Washington Street, Royersford, PA on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 6:00 PM. Officiating will be Rev. G. Warren Weleck. Burial will be held privately. Friends will be received from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM at the funeral home. The family requests that, in honor of Nana, all those in attendance wear their sunglasses for the services, just as she would have herself. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Gloria's name to the Spring-Ford Booster Club - Girls' Baseketball, Volleyball, or Tennis, by visiting www.sfboosterclub.net/donate.html. Condolences may be made by visiting www.RoyersfordFuneralHome.com. Arrangements are being handled by the Cattermole - Klotzbach Funeral Home, Royersford, Pennsylvania.

Gloria Elizabeth Olsen

February 4, 1928 - December 23, 2019