Obituary of Maureen Olsen

Maureen Olsen, 72, of Iowa City, died Friday, November 7, 2014, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Alice Maureen Wolfe was born December 4, 1941, in Davenport, Iowa; the daughter of James E. and Alice (Heath) Wolfe. She graduated from Lost Nation High School in 1959, and then attended Creighton University and the University of Iowa, graduating with her BS degree in chemical engineering in 1963. Upon graduation, she worked for Morton International Chemical Company in Woodstock, IL. She returned to the University of Iowa in 1966 and received her MS degree in chemical engineering in 1969. Maureen met her future husband, Henry, while in graduate school, and they were married on September 5, 1970, at St. Thomas More church in Iowa City. Despite her academic training in the field of chemical engineering, she discovered, while in graduate school, that her real interests lay in computer science, and she spent the rest of her working career in the information technology field. In this field, she worked for the American College Testing Program for ten years and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Pathology Department for three years before starting a career that spanned over 25 years with the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Iowa City. When hired by the VA Medical Center as the ADP Site Manager, she was the first, as well as the only, employee of the data processing department. She was charged with setting up the department, staffing it, and overseeing the implementation of the hardware and software necessary to automate various services. Throughout her career with the VA Medical Center, she was head of the Information Resources Management Service, retiring as chief of the service in 2007. From a young age, Maureen thoroughly enjoyed creative activities and was constantly building and honing her skills in various crafts. Among her favorites were basketmaking and many fabric-oriented crafts such as quilting, bobbin lacemaking, tatting, crocheting, and others. She was a member of the Doris Southard Lace Guild and attended the Michigan Fiber Festival several times. Maureen is survived by her husband, Henry R. Olsen; sons, Henry R. Olsen II of Iowa City; and James B. Olsen and his wife, Colleen Lamb, of Birmingham, MI; a brother and his wife, James and Ladonne Wolfe of Laguna Hills, CA. Maureen was preceded in death by her parents, brother Raymond Wolfe, and sisters Sarah McNeil and Celine Wicks. As per Maureen's request, no public services will be held. Online condolences may be sent for her family through the web at www.gayandciha.com. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Maureen's family and her arrangements.