Millard "Mike" Olson's Obituary
Millard “Mike” Olson
Born July 15, 1930 in Park River, North Dakota
Passed September 10, 2024 in Happy Valley, Oregon
Millard “Mike” Olson was born on July 15, 1930, in Park River, North Dakota. He was the sixth of
nine children in a close-knit family. The family moved frequently (a trend he continued in his
adulthood and passed down to some of his children). In addition to North Dakota, they lived in
Washington, Oregon and Minnesota. He joined the National Guard, then served in the Navy for
four years, traveling literally around the world.
In 1951, Mike, then in the Navy, met his to-be wife Lillian, from Montreal, Canada, while they
were each on holiday in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Mike and his buddies assisted Lillian and
her friend with their “flat” bicycle tires. A budding romance ensued and they were married in
Tennessee, where Mike was stationed, in 1953. They soon moved back to Springfield, Oregon,
where they raised their five children.
Mike spent the majority of his career as a building contractor, responsible for the construction of
thousands of houses and major properties from Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Alberta,
Washington, and beyond. Leaving a physical legacy was a point of pride and satisfaction.
When Mike turned 80 in 2010, he wrote his memoirs: “My Life as I Remember it - Don’t Confuse
It with the Facts.” In the first chapter, “The Vagabond”, he reflected on his life through the lens of
the houses he lived in - he was up to 45 at that time. Since then he lived in three additional
homes, the final being with his two sons in Happy Valley, Oregon, where he passed peacefully
in his sleep on September 10, 2024. Mike was 94 years young.
Mike is survived by his five children: Paul Olson, David Olson, Valerie (James) Walker, Kris
(Rick) Roberts, and Nancy Olson. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren (Michael, Matthew,
Meaghan, Bethany, Zachary, James, Josiah, Jael, Julissa, Austin, Tristin, Jorgen, Stephan, and
Anaelle), 16 great-grandchildren and three sisters, Eulala “Lolly” Morris, Flores (Larry) Cox, and
LouAnn (Dick) Chalmers. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Lillian Kathryn Florence
Evans Olson, parents Oluf and Minnie Olson, brothers Gordon, Narlan, Bertel, and Philip “Bud”,
and sister Adele.
A celebration of life will be held for Mike on Saturday, September 28, at 2pm. It will take place at
Springfield Lutheran Church in Springfield, Oregon, which he and his father helped build and
where all his children were baptized. All are welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to organizations important to Mike and his family: Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince Haiti (gracecare.life), Young Life Springfield - OR30 (springfieldor30.younglife.org), or Adult & Teen Challenge Pacific Northwest (teenchallengepnw.org).
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