Arthur Olson

Arthur LeRoy Olson passed on Oct. 19, 2022 at the age of 99 from natural causes at home after a stay in a nursing facility to rehabilitate from a broken hip.   Art was a kind, gentle, good, intelligent man who was a wonderful responsible father and husband.  His wife Darlene died in 2014 at the age of 89, and his son Gary (Sherry’s twin brother) died in 2002. He is survived by his sons Randall, Gregory (Deborah), and daughter Sherry (husband Richard Lentz).  He had 3 grandchildren Stephen, Kendra Breuer, and Meredith Wilson.  All his 11 brothers and sisters died before him.  His brothers were Stanley O., William T., Lewis O., Clifford R., Carl L., Ernest C., baby Lester., and his sisters were Florence M. Judd, Martha P. Bryant, Lilian M. Brown, Helen B. Williams.  Many of Art’s playmates were his nephews and nieces.

His father, who died of appendicitis at Art’s age of four, was Carl Theodore Olson. His mother Catherine still had 5 children to raise fatherless during the Great Depression.  Arthur had appendicitis a year after his father died, and it became gangrenous which created a ruptured abdomen.  This was before the discovery of antibiotics.  The rupture later kept him out of World War Two but, nearly killed him with all the scar tissue during a gall bladder operation later in life.  He was the only child in the family to graduate high school (Madison’s West High School).

Arthur worked for the University of Wisconsin in Madison about 30 years, and most of that time was spent as a lab technician at the Biochemistry Pilot Plant helping students set up their growth of different microbiology (ex. yeasts and algae ) in large growth chambers.  When he retired, the job was filled by folks with university degrees.  Being a responsible man, he worked up to 3 jobs at the same time to keep his family fed and housed.  He gradually increased his estate by being a hard working man.  When he was a child with a paper route, he took the money he earned and bought his mother a new linoleum floor for her kitchen.

Art loved researching his and his wife’s family genealogy; He belonged to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Wisconsin as well as the national society. He was a direct descendant of 2 Mayflower passengers (Degory Priest and Stephen Hopkins).  His mother’s genealogy history was the link to the Mayflower. Thirteen U.S presidents were related to him.

He enjoyed fishing (esp. ice fishing), games of chance like cards and craps, and doing things for and with his family.

Privates Services were held.    Interment is at Roselawn Memorial Park.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road  Madison

(608) 238-3434