Obituary of Stanley Olivier
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Stanley (Stan) Francis Olivier was born on September 14, 1931, to the union of Marie Louise Wilson and Wallace Olivier in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stan was the 6th of 11 children in their family. He graduated from St. Elizabeth High School in Chicago, Illinois. His parents and 8 siblings, including Pauline Vernon, Bernard Olivier, Andrew Olivier, Marie Tolbert, Loretta Jean Olivier, Patricia Olivier, Wallace Olivier, and Joyce Jefferson have preceded Stan in death.
Stan was a very thoughtful man with love in his heart, and companionship was important to him. He married twice, with the union of his first marriage to Linda Bridges (Haqqika) in four children. His second marriage to Sondra Roth brought him great joy until her death. The companionship of Ruth Brooks fulfilled Stan’s need for laughter and enjoying his last years of life.
Stan was a very intelligent, resilient, and a hard worker. He served in the U.S. Air Force as Airman First Class rank from 1951 through to an honorable discharge in 1954. He was a graduate of Chicago State University (BA, 1959), Cal State Los Angeles (MA, 1968), and receiving his most advanced degree in a Doctor of Education from Nova University (1986). Stan first landed in San Francisco, California in 1959, moving from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to live with his brother Andrew before moving on to Los Angeles in 1960. Compton Unified School District was the start of his teaching career that blossomed into his love of aiding students with blind and deaf disabilities in the Los Angeles Unified School District until retiring in 1986. Stan started a revolution in his article on integrating students with disabilities into the regular classroom. His last years of his career were in aiding teachers in this integration technique.
Stan loved to travel. With exposure to traveling during the time in the U.S. Air Force, he was most fond of the Kingdom of Morocco. He traveled back to Morocco with his family, who became the first African American family to be in the Peace Corps (1970-72) in that country. In retirement, he continued to travel with his second wife, Sondra, visiting places like Asia, South America, Europe, among others. He spent his time when not traveling in volunteering as a Chandler airport commissioner, facilitator of the Lions Club Foundation of Arizona, and ambassador at Aegis Senior Living of Granada Hills.
Thursday evening, December 17, 2021, Stan heard the call from the Lord. He leaves his memories with his companion Ruth Brooks of Granada Hills, CA., children and spouses: Lydia Marie Olivier and Radell Hutchen of Los Angeles, Karana (Stanley) Laurence Olivier and Dominique Torrella (Ivory Coast, Africa), Michael Leonard Olivier and Sharlene Olivier (Monterey, Tennessee), David Norman Olivier of Los Angeles, 7 grandchildren: Dion Olivier, Summer Hutchen, Austin Hutchen, Naomi Olivier, Benjamin Olivier, Jocelyne (Abby) Olivier, Isabelle Olivier, 2 sisters: Yvonne Collier (Chicago, Illinois), Francis Bryant (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and a host of other loving family members and friends.