Obituary of Arthur Franklin Olaisen, Sr.

Arthur (Artie) Olaisen, age 91, of Melbourne, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 9, 2023, in Vero Beach.  He will be forever remembered as a husband, a father, and a friend who was a perpetual bundle of energy, always on the go and on a mission to take care of everything and anything that needed to get done.  Artie loved to dance, and we are warmed by the thought of him and his wife of 64 years, Roxann, reunited and doing the jitterbug in heaven.   

There will be a viewing for Artie between 10 and 11:30 am at Ammen Family Funeral Home at 950 Malabar Rd SE in Palm Bay on Friday, November 17, 2023.  He will then be laid to rest with a graveside service in Fountainhead Memorial Park located at 7303 Babcock St SE also in Palm Bay at 12:30 pm that same day.    

Artie was born in Newport News, VA to Grace and Andrew Olaisen on September 19, 1932, and graduated from Newport News High School in 1950.  He met his loving wife of 64 years while roller skating in Melbourne, FL with their meeting and courtship captured in Mosquito Soup, a book on the history of the Melbourne area.  His surviving family members include his children, Artie Jr (Dwight), Keith (Romy) Olaisen, grandson Brandon (Kristina) Olaisen, and brother Tommy Olaisen.  Artie was preceded in death by his parents Andrew and Grace and his spouse Roxann. 

Mr. Olaisen was a decorated veteran, having served in the Korean War from 1951-1954.  He was honored with Korean, United Nations, Good Conduct, and National Defense Service medals while in service to his country.  Following his discharge from the Air Force, Artie joined North American Rockwell in support of the Apollo Program at Kennedy Space Center.  He received an award for his impact on the safety of the Apollo mission and his name is captured on microfiche located in a capsule on the moon.   After the Apollo program wound down, Artie joined Harris Corporation in Melbourne, FL where he worked as facilities manager until his retirement in 1992.  His hobbies included fishing, woodworking, and being an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts.  He led many outings and adventures for young kids including a 50-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail.  He loved the cabin that he and Roxann built near the Smoky Mountains of NC which the family still enjoys today.   

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer that you would consider a donation to Stand Up to Cancer’s Alex Trebek Fund.  November, when Artie passed, is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.  Artie was lucky to have been diagnosed early with this disease in 2011 but had to survive a Whipple procedure and a heavy regiment of chemo and radiation.  We were fortunate in that had it not been accidentally detected; we would have lost him a decade earlier.  We invite you to join us in the fight for early detection of this horrible disease in Artie’s memory.  

https://standuptocancer.org/the-alex-trebek-fund