Olli Valanne
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Olli Valanne died Wednesday evening at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of cardiac arrest. He was 82 years old.
Olli was born in Helsinki Finland, the youngest of three boys.
He is survived by his only child, Christina Valanne ( Charlotte, NC.) His former wife
Jackie Valanne (Kansas City), and a favorite Uncle of his four nieces, Leena, Anja,
Eva, and Nanne, all living in Finland.
Olli was an artist and Professor at the University of Kansas from 1974 until he retired.
Olli was a great story teller, with a rich past and a quick wit. His perspective was always a little bit askew. We will have a story telling memorial for Olli and his friends at the Carnegie Building (formerly the old Arts Center) 200 West 9th, Saturday, March 12th from 2:00-5:00.
Memorial Donations can be made to National Public Radio or the Humane Society.
What a charming and touching account of Olli’s life! Chris I can truly see your hand in it and the love you have for your father. My prayers, warm thoughts and cares for you.
Suzy
Chris,
Know that you are much loved and supported during this difficult time. I wish I could be with you to hear the stories about Ollie from all of his friends. He was quite a character.
Love you,
Laura
Olli was a great friend & mentor to my brother, Ron. We always enjoyed dinners with Olli. Olli attended several holiday family dinners at our house. He was always a treasured guest who added great conversation and humor to the occasion. He will be truely missed by our family.
Larry, Becky, Laura, Elizabeth Hinton
Wherever Ollie traveled, he immediately became the best raconteur in the area. For this and many other reasons, he will be missed.
Chris,
It’s ironic we made the connection just a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t sure I’d get back to Lawrence to see Olli again, but I sure am happy that I got in touch with you. I have such fond memories of your Dad. You are in my thoughts and I pray for your peace.
Laura
Chris,
It’s ironic we made the connection just a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t sure I’d get back to Lawrence to see Olli again, but I sure am happy that I got in touch with you. I have such fond memories of your Dad. You are in my thoughts and I pray for your peace.
Laura
So sorry to hear of Olli passing. He was character, who will be missed by all who met him. Take care
I cherish the years that I had Olli as a professor. His smile, wit, charm and warm personality will always be remembered with fondness, and he made my years at KU a wonderful experience. He was a great teacher, but also young at heart. I know he will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. With deepest sympathy, Sally (Robinson) Schoenhals class of 1977
Ollie sounds like he was One-of-a-Kind. I’d love to hear some stories about him sometime. Chris, I’m thinking of you and have been praying for your comfort and will continue to do so.
Chris, I am sorry to hear of Olli passing. He was a funny, talented, amazing man. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Olli used to tell us students (accent, please), “You’re going to do GREAT things!” We not only believed him, we rose to the occasion with our very best efforts. Everyone loved Olli,he was a friend and mentor to us all; he was so warm and so much FUN! Olli taught me how to SEE … all it took was one, “That would make a great belt buckle!” review of a design in my basic design course to encourage me to see the world as pieces of jewelry, which has been the basis of my jewelry design, my life’s work. In more recent years, when I returned to KC to do a trunk show, Olli rode over with Sally Schoenhals to see the show and Olli watched intently as the jeweler in the store did repair work — Olli was always learning and interested. All of us jewelry majors have fond memories of Olli. He is missed, but lives on in all of those he taught not only about jewelry design, but about life and inspiration. Jane Wullbrandt, Class of 1977
Olli loved to tell stories, and he lives in them yet. He was generous–he donated his jewelry-making equipment to Haskell. I last saw him at the Scone Lady coffee shop, where he picked up with new stories about Presbyterian Manor. He found something of interest in every situation, and I miss him.