~ IN MEMORY ~
Navy veteran, NC/RC/NWA/DL Capt. Douglas “Doug” Murlin
Olson
March 14, 1947 - June 1, 2024
From friends and colleagues, we have learned of
Doug’s passing…..please forgive this belated notice as we’ve just been able to
find the online obituary. Doug first
flew for North Central Airlines hire date 05-17-1979, made the mergers to
Republic and Northwest, and may have retired just prior to the Northwest
Airlines & Delta Air Lines merger.
Doug is survived by his wife Marti, and by his
children and grandchildren along with many dear friends and airline colleagues.
PCN memorial site
To view the obituary and photos, and share online
memories, please visit
https://everloved.com/life-of/douglas-olson/obituary/
Douglas's obituary
Douglas Murlin Olson was born on March 14, 1947,
to Murlin and Edna Olson of rural Paynesville, Mn. In this rural landscape he
learned of blizzards, baling hay, water skiing and playing with cousins and
neighbors. His gifts and talents developed through attending a one room school,
Nordland church choir and Paynesville High School. By the time he went to
Augsburg College in Minneapolis he was a handsome, intelligent young man with a
wonderful bass voice. Singing in the Augsburg Choir was his pride, giving him
deep friendships and a love of music that lasted a lifetime.
His graduation, in the midst of the VietNam
conflict, brought serious choices. He found Naval Aviation very appealing. He
flourished in training, graduating at the top of his class. Soon he was flying
an A-4 fighter plane and landing on, what he called, a postage stamp in the
ocean. His precision brought him through many missions resulting in the award
of the Distinguished Flying Cross and several Air Medals. Meanwhile, in his
letters home, he said he hadn’t seen much action.
His love of flying led him to a career with North
Central, Republic, Northwest and Delta Airlines. It also led him to the love of
his life. He met Marti in March of 1984 and knew the best thing had just
happened to him. They were married on December 5, 1984, at Nordland Church. A
couple decades of balancing schedules and raising children brought them to
retirement in Burnt Store Marina near Punta Gorda, Florida. Outside their home
the sailboat Tara, their shared dream, was ready for adventure at home and in
the Bahamas. A better team you could not find. Doug’s love of precision found a
perfect outlet in sailing. There was navigation and the opportunity to show
loving care of a vessel they depended upon.
Death came too soon for Doug, yet it had knocked
on the door several times. In 2018 he was walking down a street in San
Francisco, having attended the opera the night before. He experienced sudden
cardiac arrest. Instead of letting death have its way, Jessica, a stranger soon
to be a beloved angel friend, resuscitated him. He was recalled to life and was
grateful every day for the chance to enjoy friends, family and see that angel
in his home.
In 2021, jaw pain turned out to be tonsil cancer.
He beat that beast, but the treatment changed his life. He still hoped to
regain his full bass voice, and his love of fine food and a good martini, but
he was so tired. Doug and Marti carried on as a loving team. On May 31 he was
hospitalized for an infection. They soon discovered that he had been fighting
aggressive leukemia. On June 1, around sunset, he died.
He is survived by the love of his life, Marti, his
children Lori Anders (Eric), Lisa Olson, Mark Olson (Katie), his grandchildren,
Finn, Evy, Lilah, Keegan, Eyana, Elisea, sisters, Colleen Vinkemeier and Patty
Crawford, his brother in laws Tommy and Arty Guffin, and hundreds of friends.
It is almost an unbearable loss. However, we know
that Doug was a man of precision, timeliness and great love. He was a quiet
hero. By example he taught the joy of living and the excitement of the next
adventure. He would not have left his crew if he thought we were not ready. He
lives with the saints in light and is busy giving the gates of heaven an extra
polish and stowing the lines that some fisherman left lying about. He knows we
will be there soon.
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