Obituary of Margaret Olsen

Margaret Olsen, loving wife of George Lewis Olsen and son, Thomas John Bartlett, passed away on Monday, the result of heart failure following a debilitating illness that left her immobile and confined to her bed for well over a year. In spite of her illness, she maintained her infectious smile, warmth and graciousness throughout her ordeal. She passed with her loving husband at her side, comforted by his gentle touch and embrace. No greater love can be recognized than the unconditional love she experienced over the course of her life with her husband, George. Born Margaret McGowan in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1930’s, Margaret was the youngest of seven in a clan as thick as their Scottish brogue. The daughter of a shipbuilder, the family patriarch, Thomas McGowan, hailed from a long line of family shipbuilders during the Glaswegian glory days of manufacturing supremacy. A true proletarian family, the McGowan’s represented the hard, tough as nails, working class Glasgow remains known for to the present day. Her life of hard work and intolerance for mediocrity was shaped by Glasgow, the war where she spent many evenings in the “tube” during bombing raids, and uncompromising family values. In her early twenties, Margaret relocated to London and in short time met, then married, Derek Thomas Bartlett, a young self-made hotelier. A former merchant marine, and orphan, Derek and Margaret operated The Lanark Hotel and nightclub in Finsbury Park, London, where their son, Thomas, was born in 1956. Separated from her son at his age of four, it would be another six years until she was reunited with Tom, then ten years of age, following the death of her husband, Derek, in Mount Barker, Western Australia. During her separation from her son, Margaret relocated to New York City in 1961 where she was hired as a live in nanny first for Robert Clary, also know as Corporal “Frenchie” LeBeau on the sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, and his wife Natalie Cantor Metzger, daughter of performer, Eddie Cantor. From there she joined the Manhattan Greenwald family where she remained in their employ helping to raise their infant son, Thomas Greenwald, for most of his adolescence. She was forever grateful to the Greenwald family for their support in reuniting her with her own son, Thomas. With her son in tow, Margaret relocated from Manhattan, where she had met her soon to be husband, George, to Staten Island and his family, and joined the dietary staff of St. Vincent’s Medical Center, a Catholic acute care hospital, where she remained for the remainder of her career. After her retirement, she returned to Manhattan with George, a Park Avenue building superintendent, until his retirement in early 2000. They relocated to Manchester, New Jersey where they have resided to date. Remembered for her affectionate friendship, contagious laughter and quick sense of humor, her life long passion remained the culinary arts and her passion for food. She was an accomplished cook who appreciated her cooking as much as anyone. Never to turn away a stranger, all who frequented her kitchen left more than satiated and impressed. Throughout the first half of her life she remained an avid pianist, impressing her audience with the ability to play virtually any new song with minimal effort. She was blessed with a musical ear, honed as a young girl entertaining her family in the depths of war. A remarkable woman with an adventurous soul, she is best characterized as a lover of life, who was fulfilled by the love of her husband, George, her family, and friendships secured by the unbending values she formed in her early years in Scotland. Daughter to Thomas and Catherine McGowan, sister to Catherine (Kit), Emily (Emmy), James, John and Tommy, she is survived by her husband George, son Tom and grandson, Derek Thomas Bartlett, sister Jan McGowan-Fullbrook and nieces Karan and Elaine (Snuggs), Kathryn Drain nee Mitchell, Kathryn, and Margaret (Henderson), and nephews, Robert, Thomas (Henderson) and Jim and their families. Blessed is she in heaven where she waits impatiently for her spouse, the love of her life, and where she rests in peace in comfort, free of pain and suffering, with our Lord. Services will be held at Manchester Memorial Funeral Home, 28 Schoolhouse Road, Whiting, NJ 08759, today, Thursday, December 3rd, from 11a.m. to 1p.m.