Obituary of William J. Oliva

William J. Oliva July 15, 1920 – June 24, 2012 William passed away at Bonaventure Convalescent Center. He was the son of John and Laura Oliva, and grew up in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, and went to Queen Anne High School. He was married to his first wife, Blanch, for more than 50 years. He has one daughter, Vonnie, and grandson, Shane. He was currently married to Leslie and has three stepchildren: Jeremy, Madalynn and Vanessa. William served in the Army Air Forces during WWII as a tail gunner on a B-26 Marauder, completing 68 bombing missions. He fought in both Africa and Europe, and won an air medal. William was a boat builder for Blanchard’s in Seattle, owned Curtis Lumber, was a Fire Commissioner for 30 years, and started 911 in Olympia. Also among his accomplishments, he designed the logo for Seattle’s Columbia Tower. He owned 15 Cadillacs. We have much to thank this amazing man for. Rest in peace, William; you will be missed. “Sergeant Oliva Home After 19 Months of War” (article appearing in The Seattle Times circa mid 1940s) After 19 action-packed months in Africa and Italy, Technical Sergt. William J. Oliva, Army Air Forces, is spending a welcome furlough at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Oliva, 2430½ Ninth Ave. West. Tail gunner on a B-26 Marauder, the 24-year-old sergeant completed 68 missions and won the Air Medal with several Oak-Leaf Clusters, before coming home for a rest. He first saw action in Algeria and Tunisia, where his outfit helped drive out Rommel’s Africa Corps. Next came the Italian invasion and the Battles of Cassina, Anzio and Salerno. He says it’s “just luck” that he came out without a scratch. “I had one narrow escape, though,” he related. “Returning from a raid over France, our plane was badly damaged by ack-ack. We made a crash landing, but even then our luck held and none of the crew was injured.” Between bombing missions, he found time to build a four-room brick house in Sardinia. “We lived in this G.I. villa for nine months and even had flowers in our backyard,” he said. He spent Christmas 1943 on the sunny island of Capri. A graduate of Queen Anne High School, Sergeant Oliva was employed by the Boeing Aircraft Company before entering the service. He has been visiting his brother, Sergt. Louis Oliva, who has charge of the Fort Lewis Army Service Forces training center photographic laboratory. When his 21-day furlough is up, he will report to the Army Air Force Base at Lincoln, Nebraska. Please leave memories of William or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.