Adrien L. “Andy” Olivier
February 24, 1930 - October 29, 2026
God called Adrien L. “Andy” Olivier home to his Eternal Rest on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the age of 96. Adrien was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on February 24, 1930, to the late Joseph U. Olivier and Evangeline Olivier, née Roy. He had seven siblings: Bernard, Madeleine, Roger, Eugene, Oscar, Alfred, and Paul. They were a happy family.
Andy graduated from Monsignor Prevost High School, Class of 1947. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth in 1957. Between these events, Andy served in the United States Navy Reserve for nineteen months, and forty-six months in the United States Army, most of it in Germany with the 14th Armored Cavalry. He married his Valentine’s Day sweetheart, Ruth Höhn, in Schweinfurt, Germany, with a church wedding in Hohenfeld/Kitzingen am Main, where his father-in-law was the village schoolmaster. The entire village attended the wedding reception. The young men of the village had lined the street from the church to the reception hall, according to village tradition. Their marriage lasted over fifty years and produced three boys, Ralph, Keith, and Terry, of whom he was very proud.
Andy was the founder and first president of the Delaware Mineralogical Society and past president of the Archaeological Society of Delaware.
He was a life member of the VFW Mason Dixon Post 7234 in Ocean View, Delaware.
Andy was a longtime volunteer at the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, lathe-turning over one hundred spindles for the ship. He was proud of the fact that he made the largest block used for raising and lowering the main topmast. He was a strong supporter of the Challenge Program, contributing time, money, tools and friendship.
Andy worked for three local companies: NVF in Wilmington and Paris, France; Boeing in Ridley Park, PA, on the V-22 Osprey; and Morton Thiokol in Elkton, MD, and Brigham City, Utah. After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, he went to Thiokol’s Wasatch Division as a member of the Solid Rocket Booster redesign team. Andy was one of just four team members recognized by NASA for his contributions to the Space Shuttle’s successful return to flight on missions STS-26 and STS-27.
Andy flew faster than the speed of sound on the Air France Concorde from Dulles to Paris in three and a half hours and loved to talk about that trip.
After his work in Utah, Andy went to Boeing in Huntsville, Alabama, as a Senior Systems Engineer on the International Space Station. When the design work on the ISS began to ramp down, he transferred to Boeing in Ridley Park, from where he retired in 1995.
He was an over-fifty-year member of the Delaware Saengerbund in Ogletown, helping with most of the club’s construction projects as well as serving on the Finance, Culture, and Constitution Committees.
Andy was a lifelong hiker and completed the one-day, 38-mile Brandywine Trail Hike with the Wilmington Trail Club, as well as climbing four of the high peaks in the Adirondack Mountains with the Delaware Wandervögel of the DSB. He ran in ten consecutive Philadelphia Half Marathons, which he enjoyed.
He had a lifelong interest in art, sculpture, pottery, serigraphy, and photography, and had been a supporting member of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation.
Andy leaves to cherish his memory his two sons, Keith and Terry, having lost his wife, Ruth, in 2003, and eldest son, Ralph, in 2015. He also leaves his beloved granddaughters, Bethany and Brooke Olivier of Philadelphia, PA; his daughters-in-law, Carol, Christine and Peggy; as well as nieces and nephews here in the US and Germany. Andy loved them all.
He was a homestay parent for the University of Delaware English Language Institute. His home was always open to undergraduate and graduate students from Turkey, Iran, France, Italy, Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China.
Andy hoped that his many friends would not mourn him but be imbued with the sense of helping others.
A visitation for family and friends will be held from 9 am until 11 am on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 701 South College Avenue, Newark, DE, where a funeral service will begin at 11 am. Interment will follow in Head of Christiana Church Cemetery, 1104 West Church Road, Newark, DE. Family and friends are invited to return to St Paul’s for a reception immediately following the burial.
Any loved ones who are unable to attend the service for Andy may live stream the service by clicking here.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation’s Challenge Program through their website: https://www.kalmarnyckel.org/ in memory of Andy Olivier.
CINDY GARRETT
My most sincere condolences to the family. What an incredible man and legacy! He was well loved and deservedly so! Prayers and love, Aunt Cindy
Eric Janetka
Great man. Love to the family.
Hans Hahne
Dear friends and family of Andy,
Andy and I became friends late when he helped with the flood disaster in Germany in 2022, where he sent funds via the Sängerbund to help victims. Andy had a big heart and was one of the friendliest people I knew.
I certainly hope he will rest in eternal peace to be reunited with his wife and son, Ralph, who was my roommate at Cornell.
God bless you, Adrien !
Abhishek Singh
Our deepest condolences to the Olivier family. What a truly remarkable life, filled with accomplishment, adventure, service, and a genuine commitment to helping others. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Abhishek
Dorothy Diggins
So sorry to learn of Andy’s passing. Andy and Ruth were good friends of my parents over the years through the Delaware Saengerbund.
Deepest condolences to the family.
Bill Walters
Andy, you were a wonderful friend and mentor and will be missed. Love ya old friend.
Werner Freymann
With fond memories of you at the Delaware Saengerbund. Ruhe in Frieden.
Kirk Brumfield
Sincere and deep condolences for Andy’s Family. T’was an honor to know Andy; upon every encounter He always shared that big, kind, welcoming smile. He will be missed. 🙏😌
Don Thureau
So sorry to have heard of Andy’s passing. My condolences to his family and friends. Actually, many of his friends were like family in the Delaware Saengerbund! I knew Andy from my Culture Committee days and he always provided historical perspectives that helped us plan for events that we would sponsor. He was also a generous man who would sponsor students from China attending the Univ. of Delaware by providing them with room & board while they helped him stay socially active. A great guy who made this world a sweeter place. I’m so glad to have known him.
Gordon Peterson
What an impressive life and legacy!
Condolences to the Olivier family at this very difficult time.
Fiona Kavanagh
My heartfelt condolences to all the Olivier family. What an amazing legacy. Rest in peace.
You will be in our thoughts and prayers.
Fiona & Eanna
Wayne Mulford
My most sincere condolences to Andys’ family and friends. Andy, I’ll really miss our chats—you were a great source of advice, especially after I retired from the Army and started in engineering. I hope we can all live full, selfless lives like you. God bless, and may God comfort your family and friends during this difficult time.
Jenny Tse
My deepest condolences to the Olivier family. What a wonderful legacy he leaves behind. Wishing you strength and comfort during this difficult time.
Jenny
Marina Francoeur
A Special Tribute to Uncle Andy
God called you home, but left us with memories,
Of all the love you gave so freely.
A heart so kind, a soul so true,
There will never be another quite like you.
Your laughter, your smile, the things you would say,
Are memories we will treasure every day.
Although we can no longer see your face,
Your love will always fill that special place.
You were more than an uncle, you were one of a kind,
A wonderful person, so loving and kind.
The world feels different since you’ve been gone,
But the love you left behind will forever live on.
We wish we could have one more day,
One more hug, one more thing to say.
Until we meet again somewhere up above,
Rest peacefully, Uncle Andy, surrounded by love.
Forever missed, forever loved, and never forgotten. ❤️