Dr. Cameron C. Olson

Cameron Charles "Doc" Olson, 69, of Springfield, IL ended his eight and a half year battle with Parkinson's disease quietly and peacefully on December 31, 2016 at St. Joseph's Home. He fought courageously with his family by his side and never lost his sense of humor. Cameron is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 47 years, Gail; daughter, Chandra (Mark) Roberts; sons, Cameron and Michael; brothers, Ken and Gary; sister, Marlene (McIntyre); loving granddaughter, Lillian; and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in passing by parents, Calvin Alexander (Calgary, Alberta) and Muriel Gwendolyn (Saskatchewan). Cameron's passion was medicine. He was a family practitioner for 25 years and served as Associate Professor and Director of the Family Practice program at SIU School of Medicine; and Emeritus Medical Director at The Villas in Sherman, IL until his passing. Prior to SIU, Cameron practiced at the Springfield Clinic in Sherman, IL. Cameron enjoyed traveling and sports. He was an avid long distance cyclist, competitive tennis player and loved hockey. He also enjoyed volunteering and providing medical support for local sports teams, triathlons and Special Olympics athletes. Cameron's greatest love and proudest accomplishment was his family. He was a kind, generous and loving man always there for his family, friends and patients wherever they needed him. Cameron had numerous professional accomplishments and made many contributions to the local medical community. He was named "Teacher of the Year" twice during his time at SIU and nominated by his colleagues as one of the Best Doctors in America for Family Practice. Cameron opened the first medical clinic in Sherman, IL and was instrumental in the development of Springfield's first sports medicine clinic, as well as SIU's family practice clinic. Cameron previously served as Chairman of Family Practice at Memorial Medical Center and on Springfield Clinic's board of directors. A special thank you to St. Joseph's Home and hospice staff for their loving care and support; and wife, Gail, who cared for Cameron at home for the first eight years of his illness. He will be greatly missed and his contributions to medicine and his patients forever remembered. Memorial Gathering: Family will receive friends from 4:30 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 9, 2017 at Kirlin-Egan & Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th Street, Springfield. Memorial Ceremony and Celebration of Life: 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 533 S. Walnut Street, Springfield, IL. Private family burial will be held at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research. PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741.