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Permanent LinkSenator Rich Olive View All Years
RICH OLIVE
Richard Warren Olive was born on December 2, 1949, to Urban and Mary Ann Dumbauld Olive. He passed away on June 20, 2016, at the age of 66. He is survived by his wife Marian; three daughters and their spouses, Nicole and Chris Engelhardt, Michelle and Cory Tjelmeland, and Suzanne and Blair Hansen; and 11 grandchildren.
Olive was born in Bethesda, Maryland. He moved with his family to Story City, Iowa, when he was two years old. He graduated from Story City High School in 1968. He was named the senior class athlete of the year and went on to attend South Dakota State to play football and basketball. He decided that college life was not for him, and he returned home and joined the Army National Guard. In 1970 he married Marian Tesdall.
Olive and his wife Marian were owners of Norsemen Insurance in Story City. They added a real estate component to their business in 2000. Olive was elected to the Iowa Senate in the fall of 2006 and served a four-year term. He believed he was working to make his community and state a better place for his children and grandchildren, as well as for his constituents.
Olive was very involved with his community, and he especially enjoyed Norsemen athletics. He was a basketball coach, a volunteer track coach, and the voice of Norsemen football. He was president of the Story City Economic Development Corporation, and served on the Bethany Manor Foundation Board and Mary Greeley Medical Center Foundation Board. Olive was also active in the American Legion, Lions Club, Roland-Story Booster Club, and Immanuel Lutheran Church. He was a founding member, often president, and popular leading man of Judge Story’s Theatrical Troupe. He had a lifelong passion for golf. He helped to rebuild the Riverbend Golf Course and served on its board.
Rich Olive was a Story County Democrat. He served in the Iowa Senate from 2007–2010 and was on several committees, including Agriculture, Commerce, Economic Growth, and Government Oversight, of which he was chairperson during the 82nd and 83rd General Assemblies.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF IOWA: That in the passing of the Honorable Rich Olive, the State has lost an honored citizen and faithful and useful public servant, and that the Senate by this resolution expresses its appreciation of his service to the State and tenders its sympathy and kindest regards to the members of his family.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the Journal of the Senate and that the Secretary of the Senate be instructed to forward an enrolled copy to the family of the deceased.
Jerry Behn
Robert M. Hogg
Herman C. Quirmbach
Committee