Greta Pia DeLuca Olivieri

(1933-2024)

Anyone who met Greta would agree that she was a lovely lady who was a joy to be around and who made the ordinary into something extraordinary. She was an accomplished woman who had a flair for creativity, teaching and language. Greta, 90, of Burton upon Trent, England, passed away peacefully at Northbay Medical Center in Fairfield, CA, on July 7, 2024.

She was born on October 5, 1933, in Burton upon Trent to Elsie (Murfin), whom she credits her artistic talents, and Giuseppe DeLuca whom she adored and often talked about with much affection. She weighed a mere 5 pounds when she was born, and was often laid down for a nap in the tub. When she was 7 years old, WWII began. She endured food rationing, frightening bomb raids, wearing a gas mask and traumatizing consequences of Hitler's dictation, most notably her father being arrested from their home without knowing where they took him. When she was 10, her baby brother, Andrea was born. Andy was the apple of her eye.

As a young woman she first attended an art school for 2-3 years, specializing in painting and pottery. She then went to an all female teaching college in Darby, and upon graduation, received a teaching post in Burton upon Trent under Mr. Hardwick's supervision. This was the start of an illustrious teaching career where she mainly taught elementary school children, aged 7-11 years old, and was the Head of the Art Department. In 1969 Greta took a teaching position at an Army school in Germany, where she stayed for 6 years and was given the rank and privileges of a Captain. She was then offered a job at a small children's school on an Italian Air Forces Southern Europe (NATO) Base in 1975. Little did she know that the love of her life was soon to be stationed at this very AFB in Naples, Italy.

On August 9, 1976, Greta and Joe were introduced by an American friend and a British nurse - Bob & Barbara Redding. After a whirlwind love affair, Joe proposed in October of 1978, and they were married on Valentine's Day, 1979.

Greta often commented on her "Journeys with Joe", her favorite trip together being a vacation to the Greek Islands in July of 1977. With there being no rooms available to stay in in Santorini, they ended up staying on a park bench. Later, on the isle of Crete, they experienced the effect of a pilots' strike: their flight was cancelled and there were no hotel rooms available, so they were stuck in the airport with nothing to eat. In the morning, they were still without a way home, until Joe was able to get them on a flight due to his military status.

Although we wish to acknowledge Greta's professional accomplishments, we mostly remember her for her easy going and fun-loving nature. She enjoyed a good joke, and was often heard laughing with the rest of the family as the punchline was told. She loved Cary Grant and Greta Garbo, Benny Hill and Are You Being Served. She was a sun goddess in our household and was frequently known to basque in the sunshine. She was an avid reader especially about all things Royal Family and Titanic. She invested a lot of time in her genealogical studies to find out as much as she could about her heritage and family line. One interesting discovery was that she was related to John the Baptist! (They have a cousin in common somewhere in the family tree). She was an eloquent speaker and had a knack for translating the spoke word into the written. While stationed at Grand Forks, AFB, she wrote short installments to short stories about anything from her vacations to moving with children and a cat to trees to her wartime experiences. In fact, people loved her writing so much they wanted more, and in time she wrote two books, The Grafting and The Unwanted. She was also known for her artistic aptitude; very early on while living in Europe, she designed costumes for the Shakespeare Society and other groups and sketched a copy of an old portrait of Shakespeare, which was displayed in the window of a local bookstore. Bernard Gibbs, head of the local arts school, commissioned her to paint scenery for the Theater Arts Ball, of which photos were published in the newspaper. Greta was also chosen to organize and be in charge of a Roman Arts Ball where she created an hilarious dinner menu. While living in America, she designed covers for an AFB magazine, Space-n-Lace and created exquisite illustrations for her Christmas cards given to family and friends each year. She drew pictures for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, some of which she implemented into placemats. She took pleasure in cooking delicious meals and hosting entertaining parties. She was definitely a hostess with the mostess! She could often be overheard speaking Italian to her beloved family in Italy, whom she and Joe visited as much as they could. She had a great love and passion for cats and all things feline, and she was Cat Mom to many kittys over the years. Her favorite flower was the crème rambling rose, her favorite colors were blue, red and black, her favorite band was ABBA and her favorite song was Dancing Queen.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Elsie (of England), her father, Giuseppe,  (of Italy) her brother, Andy DeLuca (survived by Janet DeLuca, of England) her Auntie Kathy Murfin Hench (of England) and her son, Paul Olivieri (survived by Natalie Repella Olivieri).

She is survived by her husband of 45 years, retired Lt. Col. Joseph H. Olivieri, son, Joseph R. Olivieri (Leah Olivieri), and daughters, Judi Olivieri Jensen (Don Jensen) and Renee Olivieri Siminski (John Siminski). She is also survived by her 16 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her niece, Nicola DeLuca (Sean), greatnephew, Adam and nephew, Philip DeLuca of England.

To honor Greta's final wishes, the family plans to spread her ashes in the Piave River near Perarolo di Cadore, Italy (where her father was born and where their side of the family had their hotel, Sant' Ana). This river flows into a lagoon north of Venice, her favorite city in Italy. Funeral and memorial services to be held in Italy on a date to be determined in late Spring/early Summer of 2025. In lieu of flowers and in memory of Paul Olivieri and of Greta, please make any donations you'd like to St. Jude's Hospital.