Ex-mayor of Fethiye, Özer Olgun, recently passed away following a heart attack. He was taken ill while in Kayaköy. Following a funeral ceremony at the New Mosque in the town centre, he was buried at Taşyaka Cemetery.
At the time of his death, Özer Olgun was sitting chatting with friends in the garden of Kayaköy coffeehouse. He had just finished a meeting with a group of Greek citizens, decedents of the Orthodox population who had once lived in the town of Livisi on the hillside overlooking the Kaya valley. Those who were with him said it was as if his heart had been overwhelmed by this reunion.
A bystander carried out heart massage until the ambulance arrived but Özer Olgun was pronounced dead on arrival at the Lokman Hekim Esnaf Hospital. His sudden passing was deeply shocking for all his friends and acquaintances and his funeral was attended by a huge crowd, including members of political parties, as well as several prominent names from Fethiye’s business community.
At the mosque, members of the Zabita – Fethiye’s municipal security services – stood to attention around his coffin. It is understood that his family did not wish to have a ceremony in front of the municipal building – as is usual for dignitaries of his standing. After evening prayers, Halil Arık, once the Fethiye Müftü – the chief official for the town’s Islamic Centre – prayed at the funeral and related that at the time the Islamic Centre at Fethiye was being constructed, Mayor Özer Olgun had personally signed the permit for the building. After the funeral ceremony, which women also attended, Özer Olgun was buried at the Taşyaka Cemetery.
Married, with three children, Özer Olgun was Mayor of Fethiye for the Republican Party during the years 1977-80 but was demoted by the military coup on 12 September 1980.
During the years 1989-1994, Özer Olgun was once more elected as mayor, this time for the SHP – a party that was established when the CHP was abolished. Özer Olgun was chair of the Fethiye Branch of the CHP for about six years, during which time he served as mayor. He is considered to have done much for Fethiye, particularly with regard to the town plan.
Friends of Fethiye 