Ernest Lee Oliver Sr's Obituary
Ernest Lee Oliver Sr., 92, of Tacoma passed away peacefully on January 25, 2017. Born November 28, 1924 (Thanksgiving Day) in Arlington, Georgia, Ernie was a retired teacher and Army Veteran. He joined the Army three weeks before his High School graduation ceremony, attended basic training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and in January 1944 shipped overseas to England. In June 1944 he landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy. When the war ended, he was in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia and returned to the United States in 1946. In the fall of 1949, Ernie entered Tuskegee University, joined ROTC and married the love of his life, Dorcas Penn. He was called to active duty as a ‘shave tail’ Infantry Lieutenant in 1952 and was assigned overseas to the First Cavalry Division from early 1953 to 1955. He rotated back to the States and was later assigned to the 24th Infantry Division in Germany in 1962. There he served as Battalion S1, S3, Battalion Executive Officer and Battalion Commander. While serving in Germany, Ernie had the privilege of commanding the last augmentation Infantry Battalion to patrol the Berlin Wall. When his tour of duty in Germany was completed, Ernie shipped to Vietnam. There he served with the MACV as a Subsector Advisor. He returned to the United States in 1966 and was assigned to Fort Lewis as a Deputy Inspector General. He retired from the service in 1970 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel along with his Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star. In 1971, Ernie graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Science Degree and taught Elementary Education in the Tacoma School District for 21 years before retiring for the second time. His teaching honors included being selected for ‘Who’s Who’ in American Schools (teachers) and Teacher of the Year by the Native American Association. In addition to his professional careers, Ernie was a passionate member of the Knights of Columbus and participated in numerous local charitable causes and events. He served as Grand Knight, District Deputy, Faithful Navigator, and several state level positions. Key awards include the Family of the Year and Knight of the Year Awards. Ernie is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorcas Oliver. He is also survived by his three children Deborah, Ernie Jr. and Jennifer Oliver; Ernie’s spouse Anne Oliver; grandchildren Dawn Gosselin, Renee Jensen, Nikki Bufford (spouse Staley), Kasey Mendoza (spouse Jorge) and great grandchildren Sarah, Giuliana, Maryanne, Dallas and Penelope. He was loved by all who knew him and touched the lives of many. Service will be held February 6, 9 am at St. Charles Catholic Borromeo; 7112 South 12th Street, Tacoma. A reception will be held on premises immediately following the service. For those interested, there will be a graveside service at Tahoma National Cemetery 11:00 Tuesday Feb 7 with Honors by the U.S. Army. In lieu of flowers we request that donations be sent to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org/Donate. Remembrances may be shared at www.mountainviewtacoma.com.
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