Re: OLSON, Alice Geasland - 1922 - abt. 1970
GEASLAND, OLSON, WESSEE
Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email) In Response To: OLSON, Alice Geasland - 1922 - abt. 1970 (Colette Miles)
Date: 7/10/2017 at 22:02:06
This took a little doing to figure this out since there was little to go on. Unfortunately, it has a tragic ending.
Alice (Geasland) Olson remarried in September 1962 to twice divorced Robert Norman Weess, born November 30, 1921, of Evart, Michigan. According to many newspaper articles in Michigan, they made a trip to his relatives on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1963 and got into an argument near Grand Rapids. Robert shot and murdered Alice and disposed of her body in the river. Her body was found two weeks later and he was arrested. He was sentenced to life in prison, met another wife through letter writing and escaped from prison with her help. This fourth wife became ill and was hospitalized at which time he was recaptured. He eventually died in prison on August 23, 2000.
Alice (Geasland) Olson Weess was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan. Date of Death April 14, 1963.
There is a large article in the Cherokee newspaper on the front page:
Cherokee Daily Times --- May 7, 1963
Link:
http://cherokee.advantage-preservation.com/Viewer/?pt=26817&by=1963&bm=5&bd=7&pbd=05/07/1963-05/07/1963&fn=cherokee_daily_times_usa_iowa_cherokee_19630507_english_1&df=1&dt=8&tc=8&cnt=United%20States%20of%20America&sn=Iowa&cn=Cherokee&pn=Cherokee%20Daily%20Times*****
As for the children, I located information about one son, Carl John Olson, who died in Vietnam.
http://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/38689/CARL-J-OLSONCarl John Olson
[June 25, 1947 in Cherokee --- July 29, 1967 in Quang Tri, Vietnam]LCpl Olson #2268497
MOS:0331 M60 Machine Gunner. Served with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion,9th Marine Regiment,3rd Marine Division.He and his siblings were sent to the Annie Wittenmyer Home for orphans in Davenport. At the time he died in Vietnam, his siblings were his sister Eleanor Olson and his brother Irvin Olson/Holmes of Davenport, IA and a sister Joan Olson of New Sharon, IA. James Holmes was the superintendent of the Annie Wittenmyer Home and their legal guardian. No mention of Robert.
News items reporting their births:
Robert Olson 1945 no item located
Carl John Olson June 25, 1947 – July 29, 1967
Charles Erwin Olson September 2, 1950
Eleanor Olson February 29, 1952
Joan Olson March 17, 1959I did locate some current address information but am not posting it for privacy.
Cherokee Queries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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