Anthony Olcott

Anthony "Tony" Olcott was born in Red Lodge, Montana, to Harry J. and Alison "Sammy" Olcott, (originally of the U.K). The oldest of four children (Terry, Andy, and Nick followed), Tony left Red Lodge to attend Phillips Exeter Academy and then studied at Leland Stanford Jr. University, where he completed his BA, MA, and PhD.

Tony met his wife Martha while doing research in Russia. They married in Billings in 1975, three months to the day after Harry married Virginia (Beller) Olcott. He is survived by his wife; three children, Alison, Andrew (wife Lisa) and Hillary; and two granddaughters, Beatrix and Maisie; as well as by his siblings, Virginia Olcott and her children and their families.

Tony had a rich and varied career. He was the author of five mystery novels, including Murder at the Red October, which was on the Chicago Bestseller List. He was a prolific translator and also published two nonfiction books; his Russian Pulp won AATSEEL Best Book of Literary or Cultural Studies in 2003.

But he was most proud of his work with young people, in the classroom while teaching at Colgate University (until 2000), at James Madison College of Michigan State University since 2014, and during the intervening years, as an open-source analyst in the U.S. intelligence community.

Tony will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

His funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 27, at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary, 1001 Alderson Ave., in Billings, followed by burial in the Red Lodge Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anthony Olcott Scholarship for Russian Studies at James Madison College of Michigan State University (James Madison College, 842 Chestnut Road, Room S329, East Lansing, MI 48825).