Therese Olmsted (1931-2021) worked for Avon Products, Inc. as a sales representative, later becoming a district manager.

Therese Hanka was born in Louisville, Kentucky, to Mary Alberta Borders Hanka (1912-2001) and Curtis Anthony Hanka (1910-1994); later, the family migrated south.

In 1949, Hanka married Ralph Olmsted (1929-); the couple had four children, three sons and a daughter. The family traveled around Louisiana on construction jobs and finally settled down in New Iberia, Louisiana.

The Olmsteds enjoyed traveling during their retirement.

Avon Products, Inc. is a manufacturer and direct selling company of beauty products. It is one of the oldest direct selling companies in the United States. It traces its origins to 1886 when David H. McConnell (1856-1937) bought the Union Publishing Company of New York City and started manufacturing perfumes to give away with his books. McConnell discovered that his customers were more interested in the fragrances than the books, and he decided to concentrate on selling perfumes. The business was renamed the California Perfume Company (CPC) in an effort to associate its products with the perceived beauty and novelty of the Golden State.

From the beginning, CPC sold directly to the consumer through a national network of sales representatives, primarily women, who were looking for economic opportunities and flexible part-time employment. The representatives were independent contractors who sold CPC products within their assigned territory and received a percentage of their sales. Representatives were supervised by general agents (later known as district supervisors and managers). These district managers were also primarily women who traveled from town to town.

McConnell established a manufacturing headquarters and research laboratory in Suffern, New York, in the 1890s. In 1929, CPC introduced the Avon brand for its toiletries and cosmetics in an effort to modernize its image and rationalize its diverse product lines. CPC was officially renamed Avon Products, Inc. in 1939 to reflect the company's identification with its popular cosmetics and toiletry lines. Avon grew increasingly successful and profitable during the 1940s, and the company expanded into the international market in the 1950s.

Avon diversified in the 1970s. Costume jewelry, fine jewelry, gift, and decorative items were introduced to the product line, and the company entered the mail-order business in 1973. The decade of the 1980s was a period of merger and acquisition for the company. Avon emphasized its role as a woman's company in the 1990s and sponsored the Women of Enterprise awards, a breast cancer awareness program, and a women's international running circuit. By 1998, eighty-six percent of management positions at Avon were held by women, and Andrea Jung became Avon's first woman president and chief operating officer.