A man with a difference! Simple, yet complicated, playful but very sensitive. Full of laughter, a prankster, family comic!

Son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, companion, Olympio was many things to many people. 

He had the ability to laugh in the face of pain. He could ridicule tragedy but he was a man of very deep emotions. You would never know the amount of turmoil or even trouble he sometimes faced by his attitude to life. He was always determined to live his best life, eat the best food, dance, sing at every opportunity…..he just didn’t take himself or life that seriously!

Olympio was life and soul of every party, every gathering, and every meeting. His voice was always the loudest, his laughter drowned every other thing. It was a boomerang! The sound of his laughter followed him from room to room.

He was simple, because what you see was what you got! A man without guile and a childlike innocence many took for granted. 

He fancied himself a comedian in the 80’s. He was JJ in Good-Times…the American Sitcom. He fancied himself a dancer, he was John Travolta in Saturday night fever. He fancied himself a cartoonist, he would draw cartoon characters, cut them out, created a big box with a candle and presented his own cartoon sketches. He fancied himself a spy and could perfect anyone’s signature, his penmanship was an art form and his hand writing was perfection!

As a child and a young man, he was passionate about his stomach…….he loved food! He had the anointing to make pieces of meat disappear from your food if he suddenly walked past. He claimed it was a talent to eat burning hot slices of dodo right from the fry pan. His mouth was the cooler. He was a great cook, his Egusi soup remains unrivalled in the family.

He had an eye for interior décor that should have made him millions, every home he lived in was a statement in class and understated elegance. He was fiercely jealous and protective for those he loved, he guarded the virtues of all his womenfolk whether they liked it or not…. (they mostly did not). 

His early life began in Lagos, where we all lived in a house full of laughter, sometimes tears, and fights but always full of love! He moved to Sweden in the early eighties where he met Maude Holmberg, they got married and were blessed with two beautiful children, Natalie and Vanessa. They remained friends even after their marriage ended and he loved his daughters very dearly. He met and married Rebecca Bassey and they were blessed with the lovely Leona. 

He spoke English, Swedish and Yoruba very fluently and remained a pillar in his extended family.

He is survived by a trail of broken hearts, all who loved him will miss him and his laughter. We would never forget that laugh.

Please feel free to share your happy memories and celebrate a man who lived and loved in his own very special way.