Raymond Arthur Olsen

The Reverend Raymond Arthur Olsen, beloved Pastor, husband, father of three, and grandfather of four, passed away surrounded by his family on December 21st at the age of 77. He was born on July 18th, 1945 in Muskegon, Michigan to Raymond Frederick Olsen and Virginia Martha Schroeder. Ray married the love of his life, Jill Marie Weblemoe on August 29th, 1970, in Corona, California.

Pastor Olsen attended California Lutheran College (later University) in Thousand Oaks, California, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969 and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1973. He was ordained into Lutheran ministry at First Lutheran Church of Glendale on June 24th, 1973 and served his first congregation at St. James Lutheran Church in Hanford, California. In 1977 he accepted a call to Advent Lutheran Church in Citrus Heights, California, where he served faithfully for 38 years until his retirement in 2015.

Throughout his time as Pastor of Advent Lutheran Church, Pastor Olsen worked tirelessly to serve his community and spread the Gospel message. In 1983 he led a cooperative effort to create the Sunrise Christian Food Ministry- an ecumenical collaboration between 28 churches dedicated to helping those less fortunate than themselves. He welcomed groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Boy Scouts, PONA, and Rotary International into the church as an extension of its mission to be “The Welcome Place” for all people. As part of this effort, he also worked with the Citrus Heights Police Department to foster better community relations throughout the area.

Pastor Olsen was loved by many during his life and will be remembered fondly by all who knew him- especially his wife, Jill, of 52 years and their children Nate & wife, Lisa (The Woodlands, Texas), Heather & husband, Jay (Long Beach, California) and Sarah & husband, Ray (Chandler, Arizona); along with their grandchildren whom he adored immensely – Jessica, Nicole, Elliot, and Josie.

A memorial service will be held on January 15th at 3pm at Advent Lutheran Church honoring Pastor Olsen’s life and legacy as a compassionate servant leader whose selfless work uplifted so many around him. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Pastor Olsen’s name to Advent Lutheran Church.