- William Wilkes Olenbush, age 82, of Wilmington, DE, died on Thursday, January 20, 2004 at Christiana Hospital, having valiantly battled multiple Myeloma for 5 years. Mr. Olenbush and his beloved wife, Elizabeth M. Olenbush (Betty), resided at Methodist Country House in Greenville, DE. Son of Herman Olenbush and Pauline Adrienne (Wilkes) Olenbush, Bill was born and raised in Waco, TX. A graduate of Waco High School, he spent 1 year at Waco's Baylor University before matriculating at California Institute of Technology. After obtaining a master's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Bill returned to his native TX and joined the Texas Company (now known as Texaco), During late night lab sessions, he met and married Elizabeth Louise Mason, a native of Russellville, AL. Bill began his career at the DuPont Company at the Sabine Works, and was transferred to company headquarters in Wilmington in 1953. He retired from DuPont after 38 years of service. A champion debater in high school and college, he was also a passionate reader, avid bridge player, deep sea fisherman, and master storyteller. He is survived by Betty, his wife of 56 years; sister, Gayly Milling Gardener and her husband, Joseph, of Kerrville, TX; daughters, Elizabeth H. Olenbush and her husband, Roger Levine, of Mill River, MA, and Ann O. Dukes; and granddaughter, Catherine M. Dukes, of Gaithersburg, MD; and son, William W. Olenbush, Jr., of Wilmington, DE. Friends and family may call from 10:00 to 11:00 am on Wednesday, January 26, at CHANDLER FUNERAL HOME, 2506 Concord Pike, Wilmington. A brief Eulogy will be given at 11:00 am. Interment at Lower Brandywine Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, P.O. Box 297967, Houston, TX 77297-0967, or the , 919 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60611-1676.
Published in The News Journal on January 24, 2005
|
1922 - 2004 (81 years)
