Olivella, known to almost everyone as Ollie, was born to Hazel & Robert Plummer on February 13th, 1929 in the city of Baker, OR. She had two older brothers at the time, Donald and Robert.
When she was very young, but could talk, her brothers told her that her full name was Olivella Collen Plummer Dum Poop Doop TuTu and so when asked her name, that is how she answered.
In 1943, at age 14, Ollie worked in a small café in Baker. She attended a dance in town and was introduced to a handsome young sailor named Bill Wilcox by Ollie’s sister-in-law Mary. They eloped to Idaho to get married, as she was only 14 years old, and not old enough to get married in Oregon. In 1944 they moved to Bremerton, Washington where Bill was stationed and they had their first son David in 1945. The next year they moved to Baker and had their second son William. In 1948 they were living in Hood River and had their 3rd son Robert. A few weeks after Robert was born, they moved to Trout Lake, Washington. They lived on a couple of different dairys/farms before Bill got a job at the sawmill and they moved to the mill camp. Ollie started working at Tommy’s Café in Trout Lake. In 1955 they moved to Colton, Oregon on a 40 acre farm, and most likely the oldest house in Colton, but it did have an indoor bathroom!
Shortly after the move to Colton, Ollie was convicted by the Holy Spirit about where she was in her spiritual life. She got in her car and drove to town to find someone to help her, she found a protestant church and tearfully asked the pastor what she should do, he led her to Christ which changed her life.
Ollie had various different jobs in Colton, at the Lutheran Pioneer Home, picking beans and she even drove the bean picker bus. At some point she went to work for Colton school in the cafeteria. In 1964 they moved to the Scheiffer Rd 40 acres, which had a much nicer house. That same year she bought the Colton Café, referred to as the Malt Shop at the time. She ran the Café for about six years. She sold the Café in 1972 or 73 and went to work for The Bureau of Land Management at the Colton seed orchard.
In 1992, her husband Bill went to meet the Lord after years of heart problems. They were married almost 50 years and dearly loved each other and the Lord.
After she retired, she did some travelling. She went to Spain with her grandson Luke. She lived in Hawaii for a month or two with friends. She also worked summers in Alaska as a cook at Bear Trail Fishing Lodge, for her niece, Donnalee, whom she dearly loved. She was known as Aunt Ollie by the clients. In 2006 she married Ronald Wallbank, a very good man who loved her dearly. After she married, she decided not go back to the lodge to work, but she got a call from Donnalee, stating that one of her biggest clients fishing parties was refusing to come up unless Aunt Ollie was going to be the cook. Aunt Ollie made the exception and made Donnalee and the fishing party happy that summer. Ollie and Bill moved into one of her rental homes in Molalla. Around 2008, they got their subdivision in Colton finalized after much hassle from the county (a long story).
This was their dream home and a dream shop for Ron, which included a painting room for Ollie. They spent a few winters in Arizona, but Ollie wearied of that and wanted to stay home and near her family. They lived happily in their new home and held a lot of family functions there.
In June of 2018 while sending Ollie’s great grand-daughter Bryanna off to Chicago for schooling, her last words to Bryanna were “Don’t forget about Jesus”. If Ollie were here today, and able to give this group of loved ones her very last words, they would be “Don’t forget about Jesus”.
In the fall of 2021, Ron and Ollie both fell very ill and were moved into a care center in Canby, a few months later they were moved to Bearcreek Memory care in Molalla. This is where they were residing when Ollie went to meet the Lord.
Ollie is survived by her husband Ronald Wallbank, her four sons, David Wilcox, William (Bill) Wilcox, Robert Wilcox, and their wives, and many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.