Harvey Bruce Ollman died at home Dec. 9, 2009 of a sudden heart attack.
He was born Dec. 25, 1925 in Austin, the oldest child of Joe and Aline Ollman.
Bruce, as he liked to be called, served in the United States Naval Air Corps as a radioman during World War II.
He married his sweetheart, Isabel, on Aug. 10, 1945.
Following his discharge from the Naval Air Corp in November of 1946, he was accepted at the Boeing Aeronautical Institute for Engineering in California. Circumstances, however, prevented him from accepting the offer and he returned to St. Paul, Minn. where he worked briefly for Westinghouse Corporation. Then, in August of 1947, Bruce and Isabel moved to Austin, where he worked for the Hormel Company for the next 35 years.
Bruce was a remarkable man. From the time he was a little boy, he was enchanted with flying. After the war, he earned his pilot’s and instructor’s licenses via the GI Bill. He flew his own planes and instructed others. When Bruce was in his 50s, his interest in flying evolved into an interest in hang gliding. He enjoyed many happy hours with his adult children, gliding into the low hills near Rochester, Minn.
His interests were varied, ranging from bow hunting to CB radios. From the ground up, he built two houses that he and Isabel resided in for their 64 years of marriage. His many other woodworking projects included two boats — a cabin cruiser and a runabout. Bruce water-skied and taught all four of his children to enjoy the sport.
Reading was a passion for Bruce, as well as discussing flying, politics and scientific issues of the day.
Bruce will be sadly missed by his wife, Isabel.
He is also survived by three children, Glenn (Mary) Ollman of Golden, Colo., Cindy Ollman Holtz of Billings, Mont., Jeffrey (Cindy) Ollman of Austin; sister, Jeannine Roloff of St. Paul, Minn.; his loving grandchildren, Gretchen Johnson, Benjamin, Zachary, Nathan, Logan, Katherine, Sarah Ollman; daughter-in-law Susan Ollman; and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his youngest son, Kelly; sister, Jackie Kilmer; and his parents.
Bruce was cremated and there will be no memorial service. Family will gather at Christmastime to celebrate his life. The family requests that any memorials be directed to the American Diabetes Association or the American Heart Association.