WAYNE OLSON Obituary

April 18, 1924 - April 29, 2011

Wayne Olson, age 87, passed away on April 29, 2011, at the adult family home, From the Heart.

Wayne was born on April 18, 1924, to Ethel and Andrew Olson. The eldest of three children, he grew up in the small town of Klamath Falls, OR. At age 16 he attended Oregon State University, and graduated 4 years later with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering while commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. Following the war he worked at Boeing full time, then later he worked summers while attending the University of WA as a dental student. In 1954, with the help of his new bride Cathy, he started a dental practice that spanned nearly 50 years in Kennewick, WA.

At times Wayne's energy and curiosity seemed limitless. Active on nearly every level, he was a church member for 35 years, and at one time or another belonged to the Naval Reserve, Dental Society, Toastmasters, Exchange Group, the Stock Club, and the Tri-Cities Bike Club.

A lifelong learner, he gave hobbies his utmost attention. At night, after a full day's work, he'd draw up floor plans or chart out the latest stock-market trends. He loved history. He fished, camped, backpacked, and jogged. He climbed Mt. Rainier, hiked and canoed in Canada, and at the age of 63, he and his son-in-law bicycled from Kennewick to Duluth, MN.

A devoted husband and father, Wayne always found time to play a game of pick-up-sticks or shoot a round of hoops with his then young daughter. He was kind, thoughtful, and almost always engaged.

He derived enjoyment from life's smallest events. Wayne knew how to live in the moment, whether relishing the taste of a just-grilled steak or driving his beloved T-Bird on a sunny afternoon.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Cathy; daughter Lori Randall of Walla Walla; granddaughter Sydney Randall; brother Wesley Olson of San Francisco; sister Marilyn Van den Biesen of Lynnwood, WA; and numerous nieces and nephews.

His family is especially thankful for the excellent care that Wayne received when a resident at the adult family home, From the Heart. His family is also grateful for the expertise and intervention from Kennewick's Hospice at The Chaplaincy.

In celebration of Wayne's life, a family gathering will be held at a later date.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Tri-City Herald on May 13, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for WAYNE OLSON

2 Entries

May 15, 2011

Wayne Olson passed away this last week. Wayne was one of the original customers at the “Bicycle Outfitters” (before Montana Mike’s) where we had the upstairs shop at 4000 W. Clearwater. Wayne, along with Mark Painter, was one of the original Klein owners and, like Mark, still had his original Klein to this day (I don’t think anyone ever sells their Klein). Wayne had gotten into cycling like a lot of people in that his body just couldn’t take the stress of running anymore.

As for his cycling, here’s three personal stories.

Wayne rode just about every morning from his home on Canal Drive out to Benton City and back. Nothing unusual about that, except, with his neck issues, he very rarely ever looked up…or down the road for that matter. He had mounted a mirror on his aero-style handlebars and rode just by looking down at the mirror. Of course, everything was upside down in the mirror but with his lifelong experiences of using mirrors as a dentist, that was no issue. People would come into the shop with stories of this guy they saw riding who “never looked up. How could anyone ride like that?”

Secondly, Wayne was the loudest snorer I have ever been around! We were on a group weekend ride outside the Portland area one year where they had us all sleeping in this old Government Camp bunkhouse; all 50 or so of us in an open room in bunk beds with our sleeping bags. Wayne got to snoring so loud, echoing—and amplified!--off the old bare wood frame walls, that fully almost half of us moved outside preferring to sleep on the wet grass…and we STILL could hear Wayne snoring. All the next day the talk of the trip was along the lines of, “My God! I’ve never heard snoring like that in my life!”

Lastly, Wayne was probably the most, dare we say, “frugal” cyclist I ever was around. He came into the shop one day saying, “I think I finally need a new tube.” The reason was that he was finally getting concerned about the amount of overlapping patches on his present tube. We counted the patches on the tube: 29. There was more money in patches that the cost of two new tubes. I went over and got two new tubes off the wall and gave them to him saying we wanted that tube for our history bin. I still have that tube to this day. 29 patches!

With appreciation for the stories, Good Friend! Mike Robinson

Bonnie (Bollinger) Hoffman

May 14, 2011

I'm so glad the Olson's have been my dear, second family for over 40 years. Dr. Olson was a caring and fun dad, and he was such a good dentist, that to this day, I'm still, completely fearless when I go for checkups. I've been reliving so many happy childhood memories provided by years of knowing this warm, highly intelligent and loving family. Lori and Cathy, Thank you so very much for being such dear family friends! God Bless.

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