Obituary from Holman Funeral Home of Ozark – Ozark, Alabama
SGT Michael Claude Oliver (United States Army), a resident of Ozark, died Friday, September 5, 2025. He was 74 years old.
Funeral services for SGT Oliver will be 11:00 A.M. Saturday, September 20, 2025, in the Chapel of Holman Funeral Home in Ozark with Reverend Joey Hudspeth officiating. Military Honors will be presented at the funeral home following the service. Interment will be in Barrancas National Veterans Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida. The family will receive friends at the funeral home in Ozark Saturday (September 20, 2025) from 9:30 A.M. until service time.
Michael Claude Oliver Sr. also known as “Pointman,” born to the late Fred and Helen Oliver was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Immediately following high school, he volunteered to join the United States Army. After enlistment, he was assigned to Company D, 4/503, 173d Airborne Brigade and shipped off to Vietnam at the young age of 17. He served honorably with the 173d Airborne Brigade and was a proud Infantryman and Paratrooper. He would return home a wounded veteran and a Purple Heart recipient, but still proud of his time served. Michael was a proud father and an even prouder grandfather. Michael was also a talented artist, and after returning from the Vietnam War, he secured a job at then, one of the “Big Five” accounting firms, in downtown Chicago, Arthur Andersen. He was hired on as a mailroom employee, and after notice of his artistic talents, professionalism and candor, spread to leadership, he was invited to participate in an Advanced Study Conference on Slide Making with Computer Graphics from the Institute for Graphic Communication where he received a completion Certificate of Training. He would move on to complete training in Advertising Design and Typographic Layout and eventually became a Supervising Employer and received numerous recognitions for his work as a Cooperative Education Advisory Council Member for Arthur Andersen. The wounds from going to war at such a young age would prove to be deeper than he realized. He took a step away from corporate life and decided to spend some time on the open road doing what he enjoyed most-driving across the highways of the United States. He worked proudly and honorably as a truck driver for J.B. Hunt for over 10 years and truly enjoyed talking about the many different towns and cities he was so privileged to have gone through. He also enjoyed being the resource and highway expert for his family as they planned their own travels across the country, often offering his experienced advice on routes for safety, good food, and sight seeing. After traveling the open road, Michael came back home to Chicago and became a Transportation Supervisor at the United States Post Office.
Michael enjoyed all the simple things in life such as spending time with his family, especially on a road trip, and like most Chicagoans, he loved a good bratwurst. He enjoyed listening to jazz on his record player and recorded all the songs from his record player, onto his iPod to enjoy away from home. While he loves his Jeep, driving his van was a big part of his heart and a big part of his children’s lives. His children often recall fond memories of countless road trips in their dad’s van. As he drove down the highway, with a cooler full of sandwiches, and his children in the back playing cards or trying to get a signal on the television Dad installed, it was an adventure they will always remember. As his children grew too big for the van, Michael transferred his mode of travel to his beloved Jeep. However, family trips never stopped, they just looked different. Instead of everyone in Dad’s van, the family traveled convoy style. He would even decide in the middle of their own road trip to meet them somewhere on the highway because it was truly hard for him to miss a road trip opportunity. One notable time in 2018, Michael drove from Ozark, AL to meet his daughter and her family in Washington State as they were driving from Alaska to Florida. It was a two week long road trip full of sight seeing, joy, and family time. With all of his children having homes in different states, it was not unusual for one of them to get an unannounced door bell ring, and discover that Dad had just driven for two-four days, “just because.” His loss is felt deeply and he will forever be missed. “Rest in Heaven, Dad, aka Grandpa, aka, Grampy, aka Pointman.”
Michael’s awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross With First Class Unit Citation Badge, Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60 Duc, Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Qualification Badge with Automatic Rifle Bar, Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar, Parachutist Badge.
Michael is preceded in death by his brothers, Fred Oliver Jr., and Cecil Oliver; his sister Patricia Williams and brother-in-law Robert Williams Sr. He is survived by his brother, Warren Oliver and sister-in-law Joselyn Oliver, sister Phyllis Akinyele and brother-in-law Akinyinka Akinyele, his children Lawrence Smith, Chiquita Smith, Valena Mychelle Hamilton and son-in-law Torin Hamilton, son Michael Claude Oliver Jr., daughter Candace Sheree Battles, son Matthew David Oliver, loving grandchildren, extended family, and friends.
