Ollie Marie (Lively-Tedrow) Gaus

Ollie Marie Gaus was born and raised in the deep poverty of Appalachian Ohio between the Lively Ridge and the Tedrow Holler, lands of her mother's and father's families. Through scholarships from the women of the United Methodist Church, her mother's wages working the night shift in a munitions factory, and working for the Dean of Students, she was able to graduate from Ohio University, meet her life's love Bob Gaus and become a kindergarten teacher. She and our dad moved around southern Ohio as Dad worked for the Columbus and Southern Ohio Electric Company. After he retired Dad began working for an international electrical engineering firm, and they were assigned to a wide assortment of countries including Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, Bali, and beautiful places in the US like the Florida Keys. They finally settled on a lake in Ohio where they lived many years. After Dad's death, Mom chose John Knox Village and lived happily there for more than 20 years. One of her regrets was that she didn't travel more, but upon review we counted a breathtaking number of countries that she had visited. Primarily a minimalist, she had a lovely collection of Hummels, Lladros, and pink Depression glass.
They raised three kids, Paul, Kathy, and Tim and loved their daughters‐in‐law Madonna and Sharon and son‐in‐ law Brent. They had six grandkids: Jill, Laura, Amy, Andrew, Aaron and Deborah who spent many days with them at the lake and their various homes. They had a multitude of great grandkids with Mom's apartment filled with their pictures. A highlight for the family was the Ollie by Golly Cruise on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas where more than 20 of us gathered in Florida for a fantastic cruise as a gift from Mom. During the cruise in the Grand Cayman Islands she was the oldest tourist (83) to walk on the floor of the ocean in a diving helmet. She was very proud of that record.
As a teacher Mom taught one of the first federal Head Start classes in rural Pike County, Ohio. She taught kindergarten through her years in Delaware and Worthington Ohio, retiring when they moved overseas. Sunday nights were spent cutting out small ducks, turkeys, valentines, and whatnots for her little students. She loved to garden and moved her shoots and sprouts and rhubarb plants from city to city. Our parents happily camped across the United States with a wide group of friends taking us to places like North and South Dakota, the East coast, the Finger Lakes, North Carolina beaches, Michigan, Minnesota, Cape Cod, Lakeside on the Marblehead Peninsula, and regularly to Pike Lake in southern Ohio where we waded, swam, played and hiked the Ohio woods. We saw Old Faithful; the half built arch in Saint Louis; Devil's Tower; Expo 67 in Montreal; old Quebec; Cody, Wyoming; and nearly froze to death in August in the Rockies until Dad eventually broke camp and took us to a motel. Mom and Dad were deeply involved in scouting and the Methodist Church. In college Mom was a member of Kappa Phi, a national Methodist sorority, the Wesley Foundation, and Kappa Delta Pi, a national educational honor society. Her sincerest gift to us as a family were her constant prayers.
Mom was sharp and mentally sophisticated, founding the JKV Euchre club, and volunteering at the Majestic Oaks, the gift shop and vespers. She was a voracious reader passing on books and suggestions to her family and friends. She wondered if it was okay that she was addicted to reading. She drove her car well into her early 90s, had a Facebook account, and tried to learn everything she could about computers and her Kindle. During this long COVID isolation, with the help of staff she learned to use Skype to see her family. From 1926 to 2020 her generation witnessed a multitude of scientific and medical miracles. Mom defied back breaking poverty to become an educated, independent, savvy, street smart woman who defied odds in so many ways. We are grateful that she did not suffer and passed in her sleep with Tim by her side.