Kathryn Ann "Kaki" Olsen

Kathryn Ann Olsen, 44, of Watertown, MA, passed away at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge on Saturday, May 3, 2025 after a brief battle with cancer.

Kathryn, who was also fondly known by the nicknames "Kaki" and "Ish," was born on November 26, 1980, the second child of Richard and Rosemary Olsen of Salt Lake City, Utah. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Kaki spent her early years in Portland, Oregon, and her later childhood in Lincoln and Weston, MA. In high school, her Boston University Academy offered a classically-based curriculum, which included Latin and Greek. She moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, where she studied English.

Kathryn was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She spent many years in service to the church performing in the choir, playing piano and organ, and teaching children of various ages. Kathryn was called to serve two missions for the church: first as a Spanish-speaking missionary in Southern California, and secondly, serving two years as a host at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Kathryn had a gift for languages! She never visited a country without first acquiring the rudiments of the language to better connect with the locals and appreciate their culture.

In her own words, Kathryn described herself as a "novelist, essayist, traveler, polyglot, Red Sox fan and aunt." Kaki worked as a medical records case manager at Trajector Disability; this position allowed her to work remotely anywhere in the USA. She always felt Boston was home, and had recently returned to Greater Boston, where she could cheer on her beloved Red Sox from home territory, and visit Fenway Park without having to board a plane.

Kathryn was a gifted musician as well. She was a talented violist, pianist, and vocalist. Composing and arranging came naturally to her. Kaki was always willing to share these musical gifts with others, performing at various events and recitals. Kaki loved all classical music, especially Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky. She was also quite fond of soundtracks to movies and musicals such as Star Wars, Encanto, and especially Hamilton. Ish was an avid supporter of the arts. For the last six years, she was a regular writer, editor and board member of Front Row Reviewers, attending and reviewing symphony, opera, ballet, and theater events. Her gifts extended to the visual arts, as well, including drawing, painting and photography.

Kathryn loved traveling, both domestically and overseas. She was always looking to expand her horizons and experience new places and new cultures. Kaki was equally at home hiking the Appalachian Trail, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, or pounding the pavement in a new city, taking in the unique architecture, churches and shops. Kathryn had recently become very involved in geocaching and thoroughly enjoyed trekking to discover various caches.

But perhaps most importantly, Kaki was a writer. She was a multi-published author in various formats. Kathryn published a young adult novel, Swan and Shadow, a retelling of Swan Lake. She enjoyed exploring various versions of fairy tales and other well-known stories and published many short stories in different anthologies with unique spins on familiar tales, such as a sci-fi take on Miracle on 34th Street or a retelling of The Nutcracker. Kathryn also, at the time of her passing, was a consulting expert and lead writer for several different websites and e-magazines: the Dork Side of the Force, Tripsided, Tea and Banter, I Prefer Reading, Wizards and Whatnot, and Tolkienists.org. She also co-produced a podcast entitled "A Sacred Fellowship."

In her book Swan and Shadow, the "About the Author" section says: "Kaki Olsen is always on the brink of another adventure. If she couldn't be a writer, she'd be a full-time musician or travel guide, and she would take her lunch breaks at Fenway Park. Until that happens, she speaks both Spanish and English at her everyday office job, but she has vacationed enthusiastically in such places as Istanbul and Ireland. She has lived in five states but will always refer to Boston as home. She regularly contributes academic papers on zombies or wizards to Life, the Universe and Everything, a sci-fi/fantasy symposium originated at her alma mater, Brigham Young University. Her published works have appeared in such magazines as Voices and AuthorsPublish. She is a doting aunt and the librarian of bulging bookshelves."

Besides her parents, Richard and Rosemary, Kathryn leaves behind two sisters, a brother, and their spouses:

Claire and Matt Hahn of Staunton, VA; Diana and Chris Martin of Lehi, UT; and Reed and Megan Olsen of San Jose, CA. She was a devoted aunt to many nieces and nephews: Christian, Jordan, Cormac, and Walden of the Hahn family; Brandon, Andrew, Emilie, Allison, Sarah, and Leo of the Martin family; and Cal, Elliot, and Robbie of the Olsen family. She cultivated an extensive list of beloved friends across the globe from Kate Reynolds, Hillary Stirling, and Gillian Streeter in Michigan, to Jessica Balurdi and Jonathan Ellis in New England, to Lori-Ann Fretwell, Kim Nelson, and Rae Hunt in Utah, to Lorienne Schwenk and Browning Neddeau in California, people across the nation were blessed to call Kathryn (or Kaki, or Ish) a close friend.

Kathryn was a trained volunteer for many suicide prevention and crisis lines, offering support for those navigating challenges, giving guidance and understanding to those who need hope and comfort. In addition to her strong Scandinavian heritage, Kathryn was very involved with her native American tribe, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Because of her service with their crisis lifelines, the tribe determined that prior to her "walking on," Kaki was to be given the special Potawatomi name of "D�'men Peshkwak" which means "Strawberry in a Clearing." A strawberry is known as a "heart berry," the shape formed when it is cut in half. The heart berry holds significant cultural and symbolic importance within the Nation and is the emblem of love and care. We will all miss Kathryn's heart, mind, love, and the joy she brought to us.

Kathryn was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge MA. A "Celebration of Life" memorial service for Kathryn will be held on June 7, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. (MDT) at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 107 G Street in Salt Lake City, UT. The service will also be available on Zoom. Please contact a family member for broadcast details.