Phoebe Lee Collins Olmsted

Phoebe Lee Collins Olmsted passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Oro Valley, Arizona. She was born on November 17, 1939, in Hanover, New Hampshire, to the late Wilber Collins and Lema Drake Collins Beyer.  

She is survived by her children: Joanne Hagner (Guy) of Liverpool, New York; Debby Updyke of Broomfield, Colorado; Robert Olmsted (Sandy) of Angola, Indiana; and Thuri Hauser (Suzanne) of Switzerland. She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Phoebe grew up in Hanover, NH and graduated from the University of New Hampshire.   She married Richard Wagner Olmsted in 1961 in Hanover, New Hampshire. Together, they built a life filled with love, family, and adventure. 

She raised her family in Chatham, NJ where she used her talent as a photographer to write a column in the local paper the Chatham Press and volunteered at the Great Swamp Nature Center.

Phoebe was an avid lover of nature and a talented photographer. She found great joy in raising her children and cherished her time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her adventurous spirit led her to travel the world, though she held a special fondness for Spectacle Pond in Enfield, New Hampshire. For the past 30 years, she made her home in Oro Valley, Arizona. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Splendido Residents Association Scholarship Program c/o Community Foundation of Southern Arizona 5049 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 201Tucson, AZ 85711 Phone: (520) 770-0800 https://cfsaz.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1618  Checks should be made out to the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona and in the Memo, section note: Splendido Scholarship Program. May her memory bring comfort to those who knew and loved her.

A celebration of Phoebe's life will be held this summer in New Hampshire.