Olaf Steen, of Glen Mills, PA, formerly of Wilmington, DE, and originally of Oslo, Norway, died peacefully on February 16, 2022 after a long battle with dementia. He was 97.
Olaf was born on April 4, 1924, to his namesake Olaf Steen and Claire Leontine Jeanne Hoffmann, in Jørpeland, Norway, the 10th and last child in a busy, blended family. As the youngest, or maybe because he was happy-go-lucky, he recalled an idyllic childhood filled with gardens of fruit trees and berries, swimming, fishing in fjords and streams, and music. Olaf credited his father with instilling in him a love of the outdoors on skis, hiking the mountains, and fly fishing.
Olaf attended Berg School and Upper Secondary School in Oslo, Norway, and in those years became passionate about jazz and learned to play the trumpet. He loved retelling that when he was 15, he’d walk a mile to practice with a friend’s jazz band and one day saw a girl there, Grete, just 14, his friend’s sister. He was dazzled; 11 years later, they would marry.
As a young boy Olaf’s family moved frequently due to economic hardships. Later, as a teenager during WWII, he lived through five years of Nazi German occupation of Norway and supported Norway’s resistance efforts. Still, Olaf possessed a zest for life that along with a great comedic sense of humor led him, Grete, and the family to a life filled with music and travel.
After earning a degree in chemical engineering at MIT, he married Grete in 1950 and subsequently was recruited by Hercules, Inc. to work in Holland. There, in 1954, they were blessed with the birth of a son, Paul Olaf. Two years later, in 1956, came daughter Linda Elisabeth Jacobine, and in 1957 Carl Thomas was born. After 11 years in Holland, including living briefly in Egypt, the family moved in 1961 to Hercules’ HQ in Wilmington, DE. The family also spent some years in São Paulo, Brazil before Olaf retired.
Olaf was dedicated to giving his family a good life. Grete would tell him that the demands of a corporate career prevented him from pursuing what she felt was his true talent, as musician and entertainer. And oh, how he could make the family laugh! Besides jazz, Olaf shared a deep love of classical music with Grete, who was a classically trained pianist. They enjoyed opera and went to the theatre regularly. At home he was an avid gardener and enjoyed tending to his tomatoes and peach trees and plots of raspberries, gooseberries, and red currants. He and Grete were also well-known for their annual Scandinavian Christmas party, raucous and joyous affairs that celebrated their cherished Norwegian heritage.
Olaf was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Grete. He leaves behind three children: Paul, Linda and her husband Mark Reynolds, and Tom and his wife Missy Taylor Steen; grandchildren Eric Paul Steen, Thomas Henry Steen, and Garrett Taylor Steen; and great granddaughter Pepper Elizabeth Steen.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Olaf’s memory can be made to a charity of your choice. The family would like to extend our gratitude to the Staff at Rose Court in Maris Grove, Glen Mills, PA, for their loving care and support of our Dad for the past several years.
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