U.S. veteran collapses during jog, thief steals phone and left her to die

The 64 year old Air Force veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm was planning a Veterans Day ceremony for her Maplewood church. She’s no longer around to make it happen. 

“She was a firecracker,” Medina said. “She had a lot of energy she used to give to everybody. She loved the idea of community.”

Medina said he’s still struggling to make sense of her death.

Olden was jogging Sunday when she collapsed from a heart attack on Arsenal near the Anheuser-Busch brewery. Officials with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released surveillance video and said the incident happened in the 1200 block of Lynch but News 4’s crews found the scene on Arsenal, not Lynch. 

In the video, a man pulled up to the sidewalk in a red van and stepped outside and walked over to her but not to help.

“What happened to the good Samaritan?” Medina said her life was one worth fighting for. “She would want everybody to keep persevering with a smile. She loved everybody.”

Olden used to work for the Rossman School and retired in May. Officials with the school said she was on campus last Tuesday to be honored for her dedication. 

“For seven years, her bright smile and positive spirit were an encouragement to all who entered the Dining Room, and she modeled strength of character and bravery to our students when she shared stories of her service in the Air Force during last year’s Veterans Day assembly. Mrs. Olden was a true role model, a dear friend and an esteemed colleague,” the school said in a Facebook post. “We are heartbroken. She will be missed tremendously.”

via: https://www.kmov.com/news/family-friends-remember-air-force-veteran-left-to-die-on-a-south-st-louis-sidewalk/article_2754250c-159c-11eb-8dd3-b7fd1cc0bfe9.html?block_id=990844

Photo Credit: Rossman School