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| Chicago: John Olmsted, 20, 1951 |
John Olmsted was born January 20, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in the low-income Englewood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago with his single mother and 2 younger brothers. Despite his humble beginnings, John pursued a lifelong journey of achievement and excellence.
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| 1938 Chicago: John (right) and Jerry (brother) |
John was an avid reader and an excellent student. John’s reading skills became so advanced that he was able to skip 1 year of grade school. John was also a hall monitor and patrol boy for his elementary school.
During John’s high school years, he played football for Englewood High School where he lettered and was voted the most valuable player in 1948. He also represented his high school in a Chicago history contest and was a member of the National Athletic Honor Society. In addition, John was a member of the Bethel Lutheran Church where he became the president of the Junior Luther League.
After high school graduation at age 17, he attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where he lived in a fraternity and played football on an athletic scholarship. He lettered in football and was named to the all-conference defensive team in 1952.
After graduation from college in 1952, John married Diana Elworth and moved his new family to San Bernardino, California, where John took up playing tennis and became the San Bernardino City singles champion. In addition, he was the president, vice president and treasurer of the San Bernardino Tennis Club for 2 years, and the director of many San Bernardino tennis tournaments. John worked as a manpower and organization analyst, budget analyst and a statistical analyst for Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino where he achieved the GS 12 level.
In 1963, John moved to the San Francisco Bay area with his 2nd wife so that he could attend the Boalt Hall Law School at the University of California, Berkeley. While attending law school, he continued playing tennis and won the intramural tennis singles and doubles titles in 1965 and 1966. He also was the director of the tennis program for the city of El Cerrito, California, during 1965 and 1966.
After graduating from law school and passing the Bar Exam on his first attempt, John was admitted to the Bar of California in 1966. After he and his wife moved to Santa Rosa, California, John started his own law practice and was active in the local tennis community. John became a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Redwood Empire Trial Lawyers Association.
In 1976, John started teaching tennis and found that he preferred this to practicing law. He became a USTA-USPTA #1 rated tennis professional. He taught tennis for 35 years at many locations including Oak Park Tennis Club, Wikiup Tennis Culb, Oakmont Tennis Club, La Cantera Tennis Club, Santa Rosa Golf and Tennis Club, and the Healdsburg Tennis Club. Also in 1976, John met Marilyn Sprenger while giving her tennis lessons. They were together thereafter for the remainder of his life and were married in 2015. Marilyn passed away twelve days after John on September 1, 2024.
John became the president of the Santa Rosa Tennis Club for 2 years and the director of many Santa Rosa and Sonoma County tennis tournaments. He also became a regular on the senior tennis tournament tour. He won the Sonoma County Singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles. In 1968, he was ranked #14 in singles in the 35 and over age group in Northern California. John was voted the Northern California player of the year in 1992 and 2013 in his age group. In doubles one year, he was ranked #1 in Northern California, #2 in Southern California, and #3 in the nation.
John was a licensed pilot and loved to fly his Cessna down to Southern California where he played in the many tennis tournaments offered there. John’s travels also took him across the country and on world trips including to China, Europe and Australia.
Richard, Amanda and Michele were at his side when John sadly passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 20, 2024, after a two week battle with the COVID-19 virus. John is survived by his sister Cherie Kordik; children Jack Olmsted, Richard Olmsted, Robinson Olmsted, Michele Proschold, Jennifer Sprenger, and Kevin Sprenger; grandchildren Madison, Zane, Taylor, Amanda, Grace, Frederick, Charles, Cameron, Isabelle, Abigail (Abby), and Ava; and 7 greatgrandchildren. A celebration of John’s life will be held September 21, 2024, Noon to 4 pm, at 3345 Jaylee Drive. You can learn more about John’s life at John-Olmsted.Blogspot.com.
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| 1934 Chicago - Three years old |
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| Press Democrat Sunday September 15, 2024 |
John’s Song (The Ballad of a Life Well Played) (Listen)
(Slow jazz-folk, 6/8 time, soft and reflective)
(Verse 1)
Born in the winter, the cold Chicago air,
A boy with big dreams and a world unaware.
Walked to school with a book in his hand,
A heart full of wonder, a mind that would stand.
(Verse 2)
Football fields and history halls,
A scholar, a fighter—he answered the calls.
Skipping grades, running fast,
Chasing a future, leaving the past.
(Chorus)
Oh, the years move like a whisper in the wind,
Pages keep turning, but they never turn again.
He played his game, he walked his road,
Now the echoes of his footsteps feel so cold.
(Verse 3)
California sun, a racket in hand,
Finding new love in the soft golden sand.
Tennis courts and courtroom walls,
He stood so tall, he gave it all.
(Verse 4)
But books and bars could never compete,
With a life spent teaching, a love so sweet.
Trading suits for a sun-worn cap,
Serving aces, never looking back.
(Chorus)
Oh, the years move like a whisper in the wind,
Pages keep turning, but they never turn again.
He played his game, he walked his road,
Now the echoes of his footsteps feel so cold.
(Bridge – Instrumental, saxophone solo over soft guitar and bass)
(Verse 5)
A pilot’s wings, a traveler’s soul,
A love that lasted, a heart made whole.
But time moves slow until it’s gone,
And one last night, it sang its song.
(Final Chorus – softer, fading out)
Oh, the years move like a whisper in the wind,
Pages keep turning, but they never turn again.
He played his game, he walked his road,
Now the echoes of his footsteps feel so cold.
(Outro – slow fade, gentle saxophone and guitar, whispered final line:)
"John’s song still plays… somewhere in the breeze."
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