Obituary of Neil Olson

Services for Neil Pershing Olson, 87, Tyler, are scheduled for 1:00 pm, Monday, November 13, at the Highland Presbyterian Church, Tyler, with the Reverend Scott Mackey officiating. Burial will be in the Bradford Cemetery, Troup, under the direction of Cottle Funeral Home, Troup. Mr. Olson died Friday, November 10, in a Tyler hospice facility. He was born March 18, 1919, in Sioux City, Iowa, to the late Oscar Bennett Olson and Edna Kline Olson. Mr. Olson was a graduate of Kilgore High School and received his B.B.A. from the University of Texas, Austin, in 1947. During World War II, he was a Lt. J.G. in the U.S. Navy, serving aboard the U.S.S. Norman Scott. He retired from Amoco Oil Company following 33 years of employment. He and his wife received recognition in January 2005 for 20 years of service with Meals On Wheels. Mr. Olson and his wife learned to square dance in 1952 in Pampa, and five years later began teaching both square dancing and round dancing to all ages in Levelland. They taught for 10 years, and then continued dancing for another 35 years - a total of 50 years of dancing together. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church for 46 years, serving in a variety of layman capacities throughout that time. In Tyler, he had been a member of the Highland Presbyterian Church for 26 years. Mr. Olson married Beth Bell in Kilgore, May 23, 1943. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Beth Bell Olson, Tyler; three daughters and two sons-in-law, Neilya and Orie McKenzie, Atlanta, Georgia, Gayla Harris, Austin, and Karen and C.B. Pippin, Jr, Stephenville; a sister, LaVerna Soiset, Matthews, North Carolina; three grandchildren and their spouses, Shawn and Heather McKenzie, Michelle and Chris Price, and Bryant Pippin; and four great-grandchildren, Jordan Price, Jim Price, Aidan McKenzie, and Caitlyn Creel. Pallbearers will be Gayla Harris, Orie McKenzie, C.B. Pippin, Bill Soiset, Chris Price, and Ed Philips. The Family will receive friends at the Highland Presbyterian Church, 3101 Paluxy Drive, Tyler, Texas, from 4:00 pm until 5:30 pm, Sunday, November 12. Memorials, if desired, may be made to the Highland Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, 3101 Paluxy Drive, Tyler, Texas, 75701 or to a charity of choice.