Gene Olcott, patriarch of Olcott family, dies at 85
| Monday, Feb 22 2010 05:20 PM
Last Updated Monday, Feb 22 2010 05:28 PM
Gene Harley Olcott - Jan. 20, 1925 - Feb. 20, 2010
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Gene Harley Olcott
Gene Olcott, former chief building inspector for Kern County and patriarch of the family that founded Olcotts gift shop, died Feb. 20 after a long battle with emphysema.
He was 85 years old.
Olcott was chief building inspector for the Kern County Building Department for 21 years until his retirement in 1987.
His wife, Lelia Olcott, and sons James and Michael Olcott together own Olcotts at The Marketplace, which began as a small gift shop in 1973. The store sells gifts, home accessories and jewelry, among other items.
The Rev. Monsignor Craig Harrison is a family friend who worked at the store as a youngster before entering the priesthood.
Gene Olcott had a "kind, very gentle spirit," Harrison said, and was sort of a "silent partner" at the store.
"The brothers and the mom were all very competitive, astute business people," Harrison said. "Gene was just sort of in the background. He was always there, though, fixing things."
Gene Olcott was born in 1925 in Columbus, Neb., and attended high school Cheyenne, Wyo., before dropping out to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was awarded a Purple Heart, and after his discharge he moved to Bakersfield, where he finished high school and worked in construction for 17 years. Then he went to work for the county.
Gene Olcott spent much of his retirement doing what he loved: hunting, fishing, traveling and playing golf.
Friends gave Gene Olcott a set of golf clubs at a retirement party following his more than two decades in county government.
"He had never played golf before but he took to it, immediately," said his daughter-in-law, Nancy Olcott. "He loved the game. He got a hole in one twice. He was very proud of that."
Gene Olcott used his construction skills to help out at the store several times a week -- sometimes daily, said his son, Mike Olcott. He built displays, repaired things and replaced any infrastructure that wore out.
"He loved the store," Mike Olcott said. "He liked to come out at night or on weekends and help us stock and build things and fixtures. He had a very strong work ethic."
He was also a doting husband, father and grandfather, said his daughter-in-law.
"He was really devoted to his family," Nancy Olcott said.
Gene Olcott is survived by his wife, Lelia Olcott; son and daughter-in-law James and Debbie Olcott; son and daughter-in-law Michael and Nancy Olcott; four grandchildren and a great-grandson.
His son, Olcotts co-founder Larry Olcott, died in 2008.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Project, 900 H St. in Bakersfield.
A memorial service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 900 H St. in Bakersfield.
