Locals in the Limelight; Ann Oliver

I showed up to interview Ann Oliver at her cozy little home on 5th Avenue in Odessa. She had been recommended to me and I had never met her. She was worried the house was too warm, is that even possible this time of year? With her faithful dachshund, Pip, by her side, we visited in the cozy warmth of her home, and the time just flew by. I couldn't believe I had never met her, her life was fascinating and her experiences rich with the ups and downs that life sometimes throws our way.

Ann was born in 1937 in Colfax, but grew up in Starbuck, Washington about 18 miles southeast of Dayton. It was somewhat of a boom town in the 20s and 30s. Her father was a wheat and cattle rancher. Her mother passed away when Ann was seven, from childbirth complications after giving birth to her younger sister, Donna, who now lives in Orlando. Her father farmed in two locations and Starbuck was centrally located between the two. He raised the two girls as a single father for about nine years with only the aid of a housekeeper. She described herself as a spoiled Daddy's girl. Her father loved roping and bulldogging in the rodeo circuit. Ann shared his love of the rodeo and barrel-raced. She had grown up with horses, her favorite being Jumbo, who was gentle and could "single foot beautifully," she described.

When Ann was 16, her father remarried and they had two boys together. Due to the widespread age gap, Ann's oldest son has an uncle younger than himself. Ann met her husband Jim in high school. She described him as a football player, very laid back where she was more social and outgoing. After graduation, they married in 1955 and farmed with his parents in Dayton, doing hay, cattle, dairy cattle and wheat for 10 years. They had four children, Dick Oliver who lives in Rosalia and works for Co-Ag, Ginger Oliver who is handicapped and resides in Spokane, Joanne Tebow who lives in Odessa and works at the Ritzville courthouse and Scott Oliver who works at Leffel, Otis and Warwick in Odessa.

Following the stint on the family farm, they purchased a dairy in Chewelah where they lived for five years. It was a 24/7 job and became cumbersome because they were also transporting their daughter Ginger back and forth to the children's hospital for treatment. They made a trade for the Inchelium Trading Company, a business that sold groceries, hardware, feed, and had a restaurant. It was closer to the hospital for them. Apparently, the man who "traded" the Olivers, was privy to some inside information about a new Alcoa plant being opened in Addy, Washington and had ulterior motives to subdivide the dairy property for housing. And that is exactly what he did, for huge profits. Ann didn't seem bitter, just that it turned out to be a life lesson in business dealings, motivation and trust.

Ann described the challenges of living on the Colville Indian Reservation, "a real eye opener", feeling discriminated against, like a second class citizen. Another Indian owned store opened up down the road and made it hard for them to compete because their competitors were exempt from sales tax. They had the only liquor license though, but that came with its own set of problems. Since they also lived on premises, they were often startled awake at night by drunks pounding on their door, wanting them to sell them liquor in the middle of the night. One night, their door did not get locked and her husband found a drunk man going through their refrigerator and cupboards while their four children were sleeping. She told me how people wouldn't just buy a case of beer, they would pull up with a flatbed cart and buy cases upon cases. After seven years, they just couldn't make a go of it and had to liquidate and walk away. They lost pretty much everything, including the money they had originally invested in their dairy.

Since her husband was working on farms as a hired man, the family went where he could find work. They lived in Harrington, Coulee City, Clarkston and Rosalia. Ann always had jobs to help out. She worked at a tackle shop/grocery store, as a cook in a retirement home, and finally as the head of food services in the Rosalia school district where she retired after 20 years of service. Her husband had retired from farming three to four years after they moved to Rosalia due to scoliosis and back surgery. He would also supplement the family income working a lawn service during the summer. After 22 years in Rosalia, they sold their home to their son Dick and traveled. For about three years, they landed at Ponderosa Falls RV Park between Cheney and Spokane where Ann took reservations.

I questioned Ann about all those moves, how exhausting that must have been, especially with the kids in tow. She laughed and said "especially because each time, I had to bring my friends." Her "friends", as she referred to them, is her extensive book collection. Most of them Christian-oriented, they would pack them up and move the heavy boxes each time. She explained that "without my faith, I don't think I could have made it through so much change and moves in my life." Ann often taught women's bible study through those years. They were informal gatherings with neighbors that she referred to as friendship and coffee bible studies. It was very difficult for her to make such wonderful connections and friends, only to have to move again soon after.

Ann had worked all her life, mostly on her feet. It is the main reason she has had two knee replacements and one hip replacement. To this day, she dislikes cooking because that is how she made her living for so many years. Although, she will give advice to kids graduating who tell her there are no jobs out there. "I can guarantee you, there are always jobs in food services."

After so many moves, Jim and Ann finally decided to settle down and chose Odessa. They moved here five years ago in December, and sadly Jim passed away the following May. They have five grandchildren and three of them were here in Odessa. Kyle, Nick and Dani Tebow, the children of her daughter Joanne and son-in-law Doug. Completely devoted to her grandchildren, Ann took it upon herself to become somewhat of an activist on autism when the oldest son, Kyle, (now 21), was diagnosed. She has read countless books on the subject and is completely versed in the most groundbreaking research. One of her favorite authors on the subject is Temple Grandin, who also is autistic. The author is renowned for designing incredibly complex cattle-handling facilities and slaughterhouses. Ann has become somewhat of an expert herself on the subject and has been called upon by others for assistance and questions.

She educated me on how critical early diagnosis is, and some of the telltale signs, such as lifting a baby up by its arms as early as three to four months. The neck muscles should tighten and the baby will lift its head also. If it does not, the head stays back, that can be a sign of a problem. She explained that autism has been thought to be caused by vaccinations, brain defects or even environmental conditions. Kyle was born premature and for years, Ann infused herself into the lives of her daughter and son-in-law who both worked full time, to help with his treatment. The family all pitched in so that he could be taken to St. Luke's in Spokane for therapy five days a week when he was three. For six months, Doug built a special room in the basement where they all pitched in for a special program to help him for about six months. The therapy included putting food and toys on upper shelves. She said that getting eye contact is a challenge and they would encourage him to communicate with them which item he wanted.

Ann found out about a ground- breaking program in Sheffield, Mass. called the Son-rise Program. It was as much a tool for parents who have autistic children as treatment for the child. She encouraged Joanne and Doug to "beg, borrow or steal," so they could attend it. They were able to go, and spent a week in an intensive program. It included skills such as imitating their actions to reach a deeper level of communication with your child.

Children with autism are highly sensitive to sound, smell, touch and texture. Kyle doesn't like to be hugged, there is only one cousin who can give him a hug. She explained that for years, all Kyle would eat was crackers, toast or French fries. Florescent lights can be troublesome, they see the constant flickering. While young, both boys were quiet, Joann would jokingly tell her mother "neither one will call me "Momma"." Ann laughed and said, "we laugh about that, because Kyle talks incessantly now." Autistic kids do well with structure and routine. They do not adapt to change well.

What is amazing, is Kyle's brilliance and recall of numbers, order, directions. "He is a shopper!", Ann laughed. "I can take him into a big box store once and the next time I go in, he will know which aisle to find any particular item I need. He is currently assisting the owners of the Napa store in Odessa and they told her he is one of the best workers they have had. Apparently, he cleared off a whole shelf to clean it and they were worried about all of the items being placed back on it correctly. Kyle had made a key of the layout and everything was placed back in accurate order. He knows most of the store phone numbers of the Walmarts in this area as well as exits and directions to get there.

Ann has the utmost respect for her daughter and son -law-and the dedication required as parents of an autistic child. I spoke with her about her incredible devotion and bond with her grandson. He called her while we were doing the interview, he usually phones her two or three times a night. He is very close with his sister and his younger brother, Nick, has taken on the role of the protective "big brother". I told her what an incredible impact she has made on his life. She smiled and said, "he is so helpful, he has given me much more than I have ever given him."