Obituary of Ruth Ollsen

OLLSEN, Ruth, 84, of Seminole, was reunited with her husband Jim and her many beloved dogs on August 19, 2020. Born in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in St. Petersburg, she was a 1953 graduate of St. Petersburg High School and a 1957 graduate of the University of Alabama. Ruth taught music for 35 years in various Pinellas County Schools spending most of her career at Madeira Beach Elementary and Gulf Beaches Elementary. She was the organist at Lake Seminole Presbyterian Church for almost 30 years. She was a gifted musician and organist who humbly played for the Lord before thousands of people over the years. She volunteered with, and helped screen new volunteers for, Project PUP (Pets Uplifting People) visiting nursing homes with her greyhound, Diva. She also enjoyed playing tennis, gardening and the unconditional love of the many dogs she mothered over her lifetime. She enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune, college football and basketball and passionately rooted for her Crimson Tide through the good years and the bad. Ruth is survived by her brother Jack Cunningham (Kay), her nephew Crandall Cunningham (Le Anne), nieces Nicole and Erin, cousins James Scruggs (Gail), Cynthia Jane Davis (Gilbert), very loved grandson Elliot, her grateful son Gordon and her loving daughter in law, Mariela. Services will be arranged at a later time. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in Ruth’s name be made to your choice of the Alzheimer’s Association, Suncoast Hospice, Lake Seminole Presbyterian Church or your favorite animal welfare charity.