Dr. Richard Tillis Oliver, 91, was born in Charter Oak, Iowa, the only child of Frank Gordon Oliver and Sarah Pearl (Tillis) Oliver. He graduated from high school at Lake View, Iowa in 1941, after which he worked in aircraft factories in St. Louis and Omaha. During World War II, he enlisted in the USContinue Reading
Dr. Richard Tillis Oliver, 91, was born in Charter Oak, Iowa, the only child of Frank Gordon Oliver and Sarah Pearl (Tillis) Oliver. He graduated from high school at Lake View, Iowa in 1941, after which he worked in aircraft factories in St. Louis and Omaha. During World War II, he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in 1943, received his pilot's wings in 1945, and was then assigned to a B-25 squadron at Waco Army Air Field, TX. On July 3rd, 1945, he married Gwen Josephine Holdcroft. He attended the University of Iowa, where he earned his D.D.S. degree in 1950. Following graduation, he served as a 1st Lt. Dental Officer at the Army Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, then with the 25th Infantry Division's Medical Battalion, and then as the Regimental Dental Officer with the 27th Infantry in the Korean War. Following a medical evacuation from Korea, he was assigned to the 172 Station Hospital in Sendai, Japan through July 1952. Dr. Oliver earned the Combat Medical Badge, Korean Service Ribbon with 3 Battle Stars, and US and Korean Presidential Unit Citations. From 1952-1955 he was a Resident Fellow in Oral Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, where he received an M.S. in Oral Surgery and Oral Pathology from the University of Minnesota. He then joined the Oral Surgery Office in Lafayette, and served on the staff of all local hospitals. After retiring from practice in 1992, he was a volunteer oral surgeon in Hilton Head, SC, where he helped provide free dental care to uninsured patients. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Gwen Josephine Oliver, his parents and grandparents. He is survived by his son, Frank Joseph Oliver of Lafayette, daughter Jacqueline Gwen Oliver of West Lafayette, daughter-in-law Dawn Oliver, grandchildren Kristen (Oliver) Drake (husband David Drake), Austin Oliver, Jordan Oliver, James Oliver and Ethan Oliver, and great-grandson Ellis Monroe Drake. Visitation will be from 12:00pm until the time of the service at 2:00pm on Saturday, January 3, 2015, at First United Methodist Church at 1700 St Rd 26 W. West Lafayette, IN 47906. Burial will follow at Tippecanoe Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers those wishing may contribute in his name to the First United Methodist Church Foundation at 1700 St. Rd. 26 W. West Lafayette, IN 47906.
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