Aaron “Tim” G. Olmsted Jr., Lt. Colonel, USAF (Retired)

December 19, 1950 – May 13, 2011

OLMSTED, Lt. Col. Aaron “Tim” G. Jr. (USAF, Ret.) Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Aaron “Tim” G. Olmsted, Jr., 60, of Ellington, beloved husband for 32 years of Diane (Kenyon) Olmsted, died suddenly on May 13, 2011 in Pennsylvania. Born in Hartford on December 19, 1950, son of the late Aaron Goodwin Olmsted, Sr. and Barbara (Deane) Olmsted, he had spent most of his life in Ellington.

After graduating from high school, Tim enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a helicopter pilot serving during the Vietnam era. Upon his discharge, he then transferred to the U.S. Air Force, where he attended pilot training and began a long career in aviation. A distinguished veteran, Tim served in Desert Storm, Desert Shield, and during conflicts in Grenada, Panama, and Somalia. During his tours, Tim flew C-123’s, C-130’s, and C-5’s. He was the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster and multiple Air Medals. Tim was honorably discharged as Lieutenant Colonel after serving his country for many years in the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and in the U.S Air Force Reserves. Having followed in his father’s footsteps, he was a distinguished pilot, an avid skier, a dedicated man to his community and an asset to the world of aviation.

Tim received his pilot’s license on his sixteenth birthday and during his career he earned almost every pilot rating possible and logged over 12,000 hours of flying. In addition to his military experience, Tim was a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University and worked in many different capacities for the government and in the private sector. He was a member of the civil air patrol and he also served as a corporate jet pilot for U.S. Presidents, kings and queens and other politicians and dignitaries. He was a member of Ye Ancient and Secret Society of the Quiet Birdman, the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans. A member of the National Ski Patrol, Tim worked at Blandford Ski Area in Blandford, MA and he was an ambassador at Mount Snow in Vermont. He was very involved in the community, serving as an Assistant Scout Master for Troop #96, BSA, as a member and past president of the Exchange Club of Rockville, and as a member of the Economic Development Committee in Ellington.

Most of all Tim will be remembered for his passions in life; his family, his five grandsons, his dogs of past and present, flying, skiing, and his 1967 Chrysler Newport Convertible.

Besides his wife, he leaves his children, Kimberly and Jennifer Sisk of West Hartford, Jennifer Reckert and her husband Robert of Ellington, and Aaron G. Olmsted of South Windsor; a brother, Deane Olmsted and his wife Gail of Longmeadow, MA; two sisters, Ann Melbourn and her husband Thomas of Coeur d’Alene, ID and Carolyn LaValley and her husband Bernard of Suffield; five grandsons, Aaron, Gabe, and Weston Sisk, and Ian and Nathan Reckert; and seven nieces and nephews.

His family will receive friends on Thursday, May 19, 4-7 p.m., with a service of remembrances at 7 p.m., at the Ladd-Turkington & Carmon Funeral Home, 551 Talcottville Road, Vernon. A graveside service with full military honors will be held on Friday, May 20, 11 a.m., at Ellington Center Cemetery, Ellington.

Tim’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Aaron “Tim” Olmsted Scholarship Fund, c/o Rockville Bank, 12 Main St., Ellington, CT 06029.

For online condolences please visit, www.carmonfuneralhome.com.

Published by Hartford Courant on May 17, 2011.