Roger Allen Olson, age 85 of Amery, WI passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2019 at Willow Ridge Health Care in Amery.

Roger was born on August 15, 1934 in Menomonie, WI to Alton and Mary (Schmutz) Olson. Roger grew up on a dairy farm south of Menomonie. He graduated from Menomonie High School in 1952 and then went to the Milwaukee School of Engineering for a degree in electronics. He married Shirley Helwig on December 6, 1955 and the couple was married for 64 years. They lived in Menomonie until 1963 when they moved to Amery after Roger landed a job at Fabri-tek. After Fabri-tek moved out of Amery, he and his business partner Vern Albrecht started Bo H Electronics, Nova Tran and Specialty Coating Systems which were all located in Clear Lake, WI.

Roger’s main passion and hobby was flying. He owned several planes and was the president of the airport commission which was responsible for getting grants for the current runway and improvements. He also obtained his instructor rating and trained many pilots in the Amery area. He especially liked flying to Canada for fishing trips with friends and family. Roger had a strong faith in God and was very active in the Baptist Church in Amery and the United Covenant Church in Clear Lake. Roger was also a great runner. He started out exercising for health reasons and then started with 5K and 10K races and eventually ran marathons, including Grandma’s in Duluth and the Chicago Marathon. If you drove in Amery back in the 90’s, you probably saw him out on his daily training runs. He was a very giving and generous person with his time and talents. He would always be lending a hand to a neighbor or friend. He could fix almost anything. In November of 2000, Roger suffered an aortic aneurysm and stroke which he almost died from. He survived the surgery and did great in rehab and was able to return to his home in Amery for 10 years. He eventually needed more care than Shirley could provide, so he moved to River Bend Assisted Living and eventually to Willow Ridge Nursing Home where he received excellent care. He will be dearly missed by family and friends.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Alton and Mary and sisters, Leona, Phyllis and Ione and son-in-law Tim O’Brien.

He is survived by his loving wife, Shirley; son, Randy (Lindy) Olson of Amery; daughter, Jackie Olson O’Brien of St. Charles, IL; brother, Jim (Carol) of Menomonie; grandsons, Derek Olson of Eau Claire, WI; Craig Olson of Madison, WI; Matt and Alex O’Brien of Chicago, IL; great grandchildren, Grace and Noah Olson of Eau Claire as well as other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will take place at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at Clear Lake Covenant Church in Clear Lake. A visitation will take place from 4 to 7 pm on Monday, December 30, 2019 at the Williamson-White Funeral Home in Amery, as well as the hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will take place at the Amery Cemetery.

Last Update: Dec 26, 2019 9:02 am CST