World War II veteran Richard A. Olund, a Palos Park resident for more than 50 years, died Jan. 25 at Kindred Hospital in Northlake. He was 100.
Mr. Olund was born on Nov. 2, 1924, in Chicago’s West Lawn neighborhood, to Swedish immigrants Alex and Elenore Olund. He attended about 12 elementary schools on the Southwest Side.
“It was the Depression and we had to move with my father’s jobs,” he said, during a 100th birthday celebration in November hosted by longtime friend Kathy Lovitt at McDonald’s in Palos Hills.
A member of American Legion Post 111 in Orland Park and Bremen VFW Post 3791 in Tinley Park, most mornings he could be found enjoying breakfast with fellow veterans and other friends at his favorite restaurants, including Lumes in Palos Heights and McDonald’s.
He had been hospitalized since December, after breaking his hip in a fall.
He was drafted into the Army in 1943, before graduating from Tilden Technical High School. He trained as a medical technician with the Army Medical Corps. and was at the 108th Evacuation Hospital in Manchester, England, before landing on Utah Beach in Normandy, France, on July 18, 1944, six weeks after D-Day.
He was in General George Patton’s 3rd Army, before transferring to the 7th Army and later the 9th Army.
During his service, he saw action in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. He took photos whenever possible and developed them himself. The lifelong photographer was able to take photos of some of the places he visited when he went back to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, to compare to the originals.
“We got a better welcome than we did the last time we were there,” he said with a laugh afterward. He reached his goal of seeing the 80th anniversary last year, too.
Mr. Olund came home in 1946 and married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Zenewick. After studying television engineering, he embarked on a 40-year career with General Electric. The couple moved from the Wrightwood neighborhood to Palos Park, where they raised two daughters, Victoria and Claudine.
“His lifelong passion was woodworking. He was always in his garage, making something. He loved gardening too. Those interests kept him active,” said his granddaughter, Rachel A. Ornoff.
“Anytime we wanted to buy something, he said he would make it himself,” She and her children, Zachary and Jasmine Masoud, lived with him. Other survivors include his granddaughter, Christy Powers-Agnew and her daughter, Bridget Wizorek.
“He was the best grandfather I could ask for. He taught me just about everything I know. I helped him as much as possible, but he was very independent,” Rachel said, noting that he was driving until a few months ago.
A memorial service and inurnment at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Evergreen Park is being planned for a later date.
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