Victoria Oliver, 72, of Overland Park, KS, passed away on February 27, 2022, of heart failure brought on by a decades-long battle with Lupus.

Victoria was born on November 27, 1949, to Karl and Mary Neumann in Toledo, OH. After graduating from Bedford High School in 1967, she attended Michigan State University (MSU).

While studying at MSU, she met Nervy Oliver, and they wed in 1968. They later welcomed their only child, Christopher (Chris).

When Chris was old enough to attend nursery school, Victoria began working in the mailroom of her father’s former company, Owens-Illinois (O-I) and attending evening classes at the University of Toledo. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Business, she accepted a sales position with O-I and moved with Chris to Memphis, TN.

Victoria was the only female sales representative at O-I and in her initial year was awarded a golf vacation to Amelia Island Plantation—she had never swung a golf club before that trip—and membership in O-I’s Sales Builder Club, recognizing top sales representatives from each company region. Thus began a successful career in sales and sales management, ultimately cut short by illness.

Victoria was a passionate about politics, her adopted animals, gardening, and travel. When her gardening was forced indoors annually, Chris joked that “her living room transformed into Jumanji for the winter.” If she wasn’t volunteering at the local animal shelter, she was often making phone calls in support of her favorite political candidates. Although she was a registered Democrat, she considered herself a “common sense” voter and volunteered with equal vigor for John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008 and Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2012.

In December 1999, amid the Y2K panic, Victoria threw caution to the wind and travelled with Chris and friends to London, England to usher-in 2000. On New Year’s Eve, while on the way to celebrate along the Thames River, she tripped on a stair and twisted her ankle. She refused to miss out though, saying she “didn’t travel halfway around the world to watch it all on T.V.” She hobbled her way through the night, celebrating the new millennium in the rain with 2 million other citizens of the world. Upon returning home, she went straight to the doctor only to be informed that her ankle was broken. That adventurous spirit and stubborn grit are already missed tremendously.

Victoria was predeceased by her parents, Karl and Mary, sister, Christina, and brother, Bill. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Erin, her brother and sister-in-law, Rod and Gail, and her grandchildren, Isabelle, Finian, Harrison, Grant, Cole, and Claire.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Pet Pal Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg, FL (https://petpalanimalshelter.c…) An outdoor ceremony celebrating Victoria’s life is planned for Summer 2022. The exact date and location are yet to be determined.

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