Olga Rowan, age 94, of The Villages, FL, was born November 17, 1923 and passed away May 15, 2018.
She is survived by her husband James A. Rowan Jr. who she married August 23, 1997, two daughters Sandra Larson and Joyce Beltram, a son Kenneth Beltram, and his wife Jean, 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Olga’s parents, Achille Polli & Silvia Maganzini were born in the Alpine foothills of the Sud Tirol, then a province of the Austro Hungarian Empire. After WWI it was ceded to Italy and is now the province of the Trentino.
After the war Olga’s parents immigrated to Boston to join Achille’s father in their traditional family trade of knife sharpening. Olga was born in Somerville, MA, where she distinguished herself for her skill of dexterity as a seamstress. After postgraduate studies, Olga became a professional interior decorator. During WWII, she served as an USO hostess for military in Boston.
After the war Olga married Al Beltram, a returning veteran, and moved to New Jersey where their three children were born. Later the young family relocated to the Boston area where Al pursued a career as a locksmith. Olga opened a ceramic studio and became an acclaimed artist. She also created are works in oil and water colors. Her specialty became copper enameling.
Several years after she was widowed, she met Jim Rowan on a golf course. They discovered many things in common including ballroom dancing and travel. In 1997 they married. In 2005 they moved to The Villages where they have lived happily ever since.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 26, 2018 at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, Lady Lake.
