Moya Lear

Moya Marie Olsen Lear (March 27, 1915 – December 5, 2001) was an American businesswoman and philanthropist who was the wife of aviation pioneer Bill Lear. Early life and education Moya Marie Olsen was born in Chicago, the daughter of vaudeville performer Ole Olsen, whose Depression-era show Hellzapoppin' was one of the longest running Broadway musicals in history. Moya earned her bachelor's degree at Ohio State University and the Pace Institute in New York. Career Moya was introduced to Bill Lear by her father in his dressing room in 1938 while she was writing "The Book" for the play. She told Victor Boesen that she had dreamed of being a famous dancer, in the mold of Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky, only to be told by her teacher that she would make a good jitterbug. Lear and she were married in 1942. In 1946, the couple moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Lear conducted his avionics manufacturing and development. In 1967, the Learjet company was sold and the Stead Air Force Base near Reno, Nevada, was acquired. Moya became active in Nevada Festival Ballet, the Sierra Arts Foundation, and Nevada Opera.