April 30, 1960 – May 24, 2022
Nancy, 62, passed away peacefully on May 24, with two close friends by her side at her home in Des Moines, Washington.
She was born April 30, 1960, in Burien WA to Ralph and Verona Scholz. Her father was from Wausau, WI and worked at the FAA Air Traffic Control Center in Auburn. Her mother came from Great Falls MT and worked for Northwest Airlines at SeaTac Airport. Nancy contracted Type 1 Diabetes when she was 8 years old and courageously battled the disease with its numerous, compounding complications for the rest of her life. She was a participating member of the Go for Red, American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.
Nancy graduated from Auburn High School in 1978. She attended Green River Community College and Washington State University, where she earned a degree in Business Administration specializing in Computer Systems. After college, she worked at Boeing in Renton, WA. and later, at Raytheon in Goleta, CA. Nancy made close friends with many of her co-workers at both locations.
In 1998, Nancy took a trip with her parents to New Zealand where she met Phil Olsen, a tourist from Southern California traveling alone. They fell in love and were married in February of 1991 after which Nancy moved to Goleta, CA to be with Phil. She got a job as a Quality Auditor at Raytheon. Phil died in 2015. In 2018 Nancy moved back to Washington. Nancy was witty and adventurous, and had faith in God; gifts she credits as coming from her parents. She also had an infectious positive attitude about life and love. The people that interacted with her couldn’t help but be uplifted by this combination of character traits.
Nancy loved cats and over the years, owned four, all of them black: Sheba, Samantha and Tabitha, and last but not least, Martini. Her hobbies and interests included spending time with family and friends, traveling with Phil, and quilting. She devoted much of her time and energy as an advocate for her own health which took increasingly more and more effort as the disease took over. She handled her slowly failing health and the associated health care system/insurance challenges with equal doses of grace and a sharp inquisitive manner learned from her auditing days.
She was preceded in death by her parents Ralph and Verona Scholz and her husband Phil Olsen.
Nancy is survived by two brothers, Ron (Maryelyn) Scholz, Stevensville, MT and Mike (Ericka) Scholz, Normandy Park, WA; 3 step-children, Kari (Harold) Adams, Lompoc, CA Pamela (Bill) Holt, Buellton, CA ; Todd Olsen, Costa Mesa, CA and 2 step-grandchildren Robert (Sonia) Adams, Lompoc, CA; Benjamin Adams, Poland, ME; 2 step-great grandchildren Emma and Olivia Adams and numerous nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life is planned for June 28th at 1 PM at the Cove in Normandy Park, Wash.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The American Diabetes Association, specify research: http://www.diabetes.org
