Peter Paul Olevnik

Peter P. Olevnik, age 89, died on December 3, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. Peter was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on December 23, 1934. He was the son of Peter Olevnik, Sr. and Sophie (Kratowicz) Olevnik. 

He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Irene Banning and Jeannette Gazler. 

Peter is survived by his beloved wife, Judith (Judy) of 63 years, and their children: daughter, Janna Jones and her husband, Wesley, of Boulder, Colorado; son, John Olevnik, and his wife, Lynnle, of Jacksonville, Florida; and daughter, Catherine Forbes and her husband, Steven Ahladas, of Highland, New York. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Divya Forbes, Nathan and Tessa Olevnik, and Ellory and Haile Jones. 

Peter graduated from Central Catholic High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1952. He continued his education completing a two-year certificate program at the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Art School. This he followed with both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Saint Francis College (now Saint Francis University) in Fort Wayne. In 1967 he attained a degree in Library Science from Rosary College (now Dominican University) in Chicago, Illinois. Peter retired as a college librarian and teacher with 21 years of service while serving as Head of Information Services at the State University of New York at Brockport. In 1978 he received the SUNY Chancellors Award for Excellence in Librarianship. While serving as a member of the SUNY faculty senate, Peter was instrumental in establishing the State University of New York librarian rank of Distinguished University Librarian in 1995. After earning a PhD from the University of Buffalo, he was appointed as guest lecturer at the University’s School of Information and Library Studies. He became an accomplished artist, serving as a member of the Asheville (North Carolina) Gallery of Art, and writer of published books in bibliography and poetry. A cold war veteran, Peter was stationed with the United States Army in Germany from 1957 to 1959.