Olan J. Lehman, age 88 of Amarillo passed away peacefully on Saturday November 16, 2019.
Services will Saturday at 2:00 PM, November 23 at Lagrone Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors with Pastor Jim Smith officiating, 8310 S Coulter St, Amarillo, TX.
Olan was born on January 27, 1931 in Booker, TX. He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1949. He received his Associate of Science degree from Amarillo College in 1952. Olan then went on to West Texas State University, where he received his BBA in 1954. He completed his MBA in Business Management-Economics in 1955. He began teaching the same year, becoming the youngest professor at the age of 24, to be hired at WTSU. Olan remained at West Texas State University until his retirement in 1991, teaching Government, Economics and Business Management and Administration. In 1958, He was awarded a Fellowship for Regional Faculty Research for Economics at Tulane University where he was part of a small elite group that researched and discussed the better teaching of Economics. He also did Doctorate work at the University of Michigan and Texas Tech University. Olan was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Chi and Sigma Beta Mu. In 1977, Olan became an accredited personnel diplomat.
Olan married Claudine Curb in December 1969. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding Anniversary on December 27th, 2019. They were very happily married and enjoyed traveling the globe in retirement. He was a wonderful loving father to their 2 children, Brian and Denise. He was preceded in death by his parents, Allen and Wilma Lehman, three sisters, Ruth, Allene and Dorothy, one brother Eldon, and two great – grandsons Kaide and Kyler.
He is survived by his wife, Claudine, one son, Brian Lehman and wife S’Quetta of Amarillo, TX, one daughter, Denise Williams and husband Stephen of Steamboat Springs, CO, one granddaughter, Hylie Garrett and husband Travis of Canyon, TX and one grandson, Gage Lovett of Tempe, AZ. He also had two great – grandchildren Brooklynne and Brytton Garrett, 2 step – granddaughters Stormie Davis and Sierra Hewitt and one step – grandson Cory Wayne Davis.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to High Plains Food Bank.