Longtime resident, town volunteer, World War II veteran
Hans Ohlin (Courtesy photo)
Hans F.R. Ohlin, 94, of Harvard passed away Friday, April 4, 2014 at his home. He was the husband of Natalie Ohlin. Mr. Ohlin was born in Cambridge, the son of Carl and Lina Ohlin. He grew up in Belmont and completed his education at the Kents Hill School in Maine. He served in World War II as an Army ordinance technician in the Pacific Theater, repairing anti-aircraft equipment. After being discharged in 1946 he worked in the elevator repair business in the Boston area.
He purchased property in Harvard in 1948 for his parents to reside in before he moved to Barrington, R.I., to work in the insurance business. In 1963 he moved his family to Harvard to care for his mother after his father’s passing. He worked several years as a service technician for the Acton-based Baker Whitney Oil and Bursaw Gas and Oil companies. For a number of years he served as a special police officer for the town of Harvard and as a member of the Conservation Commission. In 1993 he donated a scenic 25-acre section of land known as “the narrows” along Bowers Brook to help the Conservation Trust connect the Hermann land with the Town Forest on Poor Farm Road. He was a devoted supporter of the Kents Hill School, which meant so much to him.
Over the years Mr. Ohlin had his share of adventures: canoeing Maine’s Allagash River, cycling and hiking in the White Mountains, sailing along the Maine and Massachusetts coasts, and touring the Panama Canal, Switzerland, and Sweden. He had been an active participant in Harvard’s Council On Aging and had a great appreciation for the staff as well as his fellow COA friends.
Mr. Ohlin is survived by his wife Natalie of Harvard; his daughter Karen Ohlin and her husband Ted Jasnos of Clinton; his son Richard and his wife Sharon of Harvard; and by his granddaughter Kristin and her husband Jeremy Parker of North Chelmsford. He felt blessed to have lived long enough to see his great-granddaughter Grace Parker, who was born in August of 2012.
In keeping with his wishes, there will be a private graveside service for family and friends to be held at a later date at the Bellevue Cemetery, Harvard.
