WILMINGTON — John Hardman Olsen, 91, passed away peacefully in his sleep Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.
He was born Oct. 1, 1926, in Biloxi, Mississippi. His parents were Johnnes Edgar August Olsen and Margaret Alice Hardman Olsen.
John was a lifelong resident of Wilmington. He graduated from New Hanover High School and proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War II . Early in his life, he operated a dairy farm and tobacco farm in New Hanover County that is now the location of Olsen Park.
In the 1960s, John harvested stumps with dynamite for the Hercules Power Company. He loaded them on rail cars to be processed in Brunswick, Georgia, for turpentine, an important historical industry in North Carolina. John owned and operated Cedric’s Fish & Chips and the first Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop in Wilmington. He later operated numerous shops on the old Carolina Beach Boardwalk. He was a true, hard-working entrepreneur and member of the greatest generation.
John is survived by his wife, Lou Poole Olsen; two daughters, Joan Turner Olsen and Patricia Ann Britt; two brothers, Harold August Olsen and Ralph Edgar Olsen; one sister, Margaret Alice Olsen; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Doris Marie Olsen.
A memorial gathering will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4, at the home of John’s grandson Gerald Waite, 5200 Holt Road Wilmington.
Share online condolences with the family at Wilmington Funeral & Cremation.
