Diane Gaye Olah

Diane Gaye Olah, a resident of Allen Park, passed away in the early hours of Sunday, March 9, 2025 at the age of 89. Beloved wife of 66 years to Anthony Olah. Cherished mother of Michele (Joe) Adams, Mary (Bert) Koseck, Julie (Chuck) White, Sue (Mike) Soter, and Kathy (Pete) Greifenberg. Loving grandmother of 14. Dearest great-grandmother of 7 with one more on the way. Caring sister of Patrick Dwyer. Gaye was preceded in death by her parents Lawrence and Mary Dwyer, her brothers Timothy and Michael Dwyer, and her sisters-in-law Irene (the late Tom) Becker and Patricia Dwyer.

Gaye grew up in the Delray area of Southwest Detroit in an Irish-Catholic home. Gaye attended All Saints Schools for 12 years, graduating from All Saints High School in 1954. In 7th grade at All Saints, Gaye met Irene Olah, who soon became her best friend. Little did she know that her best friend would become her sister-in-law, when Irene’s older brother, Tony, began to take an interest in Gaye. After a long distance proposal when Tony was stationed in Germany, Gaye and Tony wedded in 1959. They moved to Allen Park and started a family. Tony and Gaye’s five daughters all attended and graduated from Cabrini Schools.

As her youngest daughters entered Junior High School, Gaye was hired at Dearborn Federal Credit Union. For twenty years, first as a teller, and later as a Member Services Representative, Gaye was committed to making a positive impact at DFCU. She was well-liked both by her coworkers and members.

It is impossible to talk about Gaye without discussing her faith and her care and concern for others. She was a devoted member of St. Hugh and St. Frances Cabrini parishes, attending daily mass for many years at Cabrini. Throughout her time in both parishes, she served as a Eucharistic Minister, and was a member of multiple service groups. She worked at Parish Festivals, both making gift baskets as well as working the bingo games. She counted money donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She took great pride in weeding and tending to the gardens in front of the Chapel area at Cabrini. For decades after her retirement from DFCU, she visited sick and elderly nuns at the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe. She tutored elementary school students in reading and math at Holy Redeemer School in Detroit. She also spent many mornings serving food to the less fortunate at the Soup Kitchen at All Saints Church in Detroit. Her life was truly one of service.

The only thing she enjoyed more than helping others was being with her family. Her daughters, grandchildren - Jenny (Matthew) Mitchell, Karin (David) Gelband, Katie (Mike) Milea, Emily (Alex) Carpio, Anna (Derek) VanDommelen, Jimmy (Molly) Adams, Ellen Koseck, Natalie White (Joel Hedemark), Nick Soter, Sean Soter (Lauren Hamann), Lauren Greifenberg (Bryant Rowe), Garrett White, Sammy Soter, and Brian Greifenberg, and her great-grandchildren - Maddie, Ella, and Lily Gelband, Anne Mitchell, Claire Milea, Piper Carpio, and Jordan VanDommelen - were the absolute joys of her life. Gaye and her daughters had a tradition of a yearly trip to Chicago every November for Gaye’s birthday. By train or by car, they ate a bon voyage lunch at Common Grill in Chelsea and then would head to the Windy City for a weekend of shows, shopping, delicious food, and laughter. In addition to annual camping trips to Ludington, Port Crescent, and other State Parks around Michigan with a cohort of grandkids in tow, the entire family (and all of the grandkids) spent the last week of June at cottages in Tawas for twenty years!!! Gaye especially enjoyed the annual performances which were conceived, casted, and acted out by all of the grandkids! The epic weekend train trip to Chicago with Gaye and all nine of her girl grandchildren will live on forever in all of their minds! She and Tony logged countless miles traversing Michigan and Ohio in support of their grandchildren’s endeavors - swim meets, hockey games, lacrosse games, ballet recitals, soccer games, graduations, to name but a few. She also possessed a real affinity for card games, puzzles, crosswords, Scrabble, and games of strategy, as all of her grandchildren well know. She simply loved spending time with any of her kids or grandkids, as often as possible.

Gaye led her life by example. She was tireless in her desire to make other people’s lives better. She never missed an opportunity to reach out to friends and relatives with a phone call or a card. Managing birthday/holiday/anniversary/graduation cards to her own family alone - 40 people!! - was a challenge, but she did it because it was important to her to show them that they were always in her thoughts. Her sense of humor was infectious and her ability to laugh at herself put others at ease. Her sense of competition (and fairness) taught all of us how to win (and lose) with humility and grace. Her life is a testament to faith and to love. Her capacity for love was limitless. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered. We will raise a toast to her impact on all of us on this and every future St. Patrick’s Day.

Visitation for Gaye will take place on Friday, March 14, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at The Allen Park Chapel of The Martenson Family of Funeral Homes located at 10915 Allen Road, 48101. There will be a rosary held at 6:00 p.m. that evening at the funeral home. The Mass of Resurrection will be held the following day, Saturday, March 15, 2025 at St. Frances Cabrini Church located at 9000 Laurence Ave., Allen Park, 48101. She will lie in state at 9:30 a.m. and the Mass will begin at 10:00 a.m. Gaye will be inurned at Great Lakes National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Fr. Clare Murphy Scholarship Fund in Gaye’s honor. A donation link can be found below.

Please visit Gaye’s guestbook to share memories and leave condolences for her family.