David C. Olson

1945 - 2021

Watertown, WI - David C. Olson, 75, of Watertown (formerly of Sullivan, WI), passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at Clearview in Juneau with his son and daughter by his side.



A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Hafemeister Funeral Home with Rev. David Griffiths of Fellowship Bible Church in Palmyra officiating. Military Honors will be conducted following the service. Family and friends may gather at the funeral home from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Memorials, if desired, would be appreciated to Jefferson County Humane Society, Fellowship Bible Church of Palmyra, or Grace To You at gty.org, the John Macarthur Ministry. Hafemeister Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Watertown is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.hafemeisterfh.com.



David Clarence Olson was born on October 8, 1945 at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, the son of Allen Richard and Harriet Hazel (nee Wright) Olson. He was a 1964 graduate of Jefferson Senior High School. He enlisted in the United States Air Force on November 22, 1965, serving as an airplane mechanic at Tachikawa, Japan. He was honorably discharged on February 27, 1969. On February 25, 1967 he married Nancy Jane Gajewsky. David was employed at GE Healthcare in Waukesha from 1970 to retirement on November 1, 2006, earning him a spot in the 35 years of dedicated service club of GE. His employment at GE inspired a lifelong collection of GE memorabilia.

David enjoyed volunteering his time and served as a Boy Scout Leader, Awana Leader (Grace Bible Church in Oconomowoc), and was an active member of Fellowship Bible Church in Palmyra.

David was a favorite customer of Wild Bill 2.0, an honorary member of the Possum Lodge, and he was a long-standing Dementoid of Dr. Demento.

He enjoyed caretaking the many plants and trees on the farmette in Sullivan. His pride and joy were the many black walnut trees that he grew from nuts. His second favorite plant to cultivate were the abundance of lilac bushes that he amply lined the south property line with. He was truly gifted with a green thumb.



David had an immense love of music and had amassed an impressive cassette tape collection. Little known fact, he once sang backup (just for one song thankfully!) for Dion and the Belmonts.

He loved cars and shared this passion with both of his children. Both kids are thankful for the patient driving instruction he gave, mechanical knowledge he shared, and the manual shift process learned from the passenger side. Fueled by his love of cars, was an incredible collection of thousands of diecast toy cars. Many of which he found with his grandson, Matt, during their "treasure hunt" adventures at many a Kmart store.

David also had a passion for history, especially that of the places he grew up; Sullivan, Jefferson, and Fort Atkinson. He enjoyed studying and collecting books and memorabilia of his past and he was always happy to share his knowledge.

But his greatest love was that for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was always open to share the Gospel with those around him. Often quoting one of his favorite verses - John 3:16, For God so loved the word, that he gave his only begotten son, that who soever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. David understood that he was an imperfect sinner bound to God by his love and grace. His many bibles, highlighted with passages and notes, reaffirmed that belief.



David is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Nancy, two children, Scott (Angie) Olson of Bristol and Shandra (Wayne) Zastrow of Watertown; grandchildren, Laura, Matthew, Trent, Sarai, Gabriel, Michael, Jeremiah, and Rachel; great-grandchildren, Amelia, Lilly, and Harper; and a sister Patty and brothers Gary, Roy, John, Tom, and Harvey; as well as other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and oldest brother Richard.



David's sense of humor, mischievous smile, wealth of knowledge, and love for the Lord will be missed by all who were blessed to know him.

A special thank you to all the wonderful doctors and nurses that gave our father loving care - his many doctors and nurses at the various Aurora Clinics, Staff & Doctors at Watertown Regional Medical Center during his numerous visits during the past year, The Amazing Team at Beaver Dam Wound Clinic, and all the staff at Clearview in Juneau. A special thank you to one of his favorite doctors, Dr. McGuire, and staff at Froedert for the many years of treatment that provided dad a manageable level of comfort these past years.