John Erik Olson

John was born on the 1st of July 1942, in New York City and attended Chatsworth Avenue School in Larchmont, NY and Mamaroneck High School, where he made friendships that lasted a lifetime. He transferred to Salisbury School in Salisbury, CT, a transformative experience for which he felt immense gratitude throughout his life. John then attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning his B.A. in English and American Civilization, and his M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business. While at Penn, John served as president of the raucous Sigma Chi chapter for two years, and he was forever proud that his adept negotiation skills kept the fraternity from being banished from campus. John’s youthful sense of adventure led him to do things like hitchhiking cross-country to Alaska, running with the bulls in Pamplona, and sleeping on the Spanish Steps in Rome.

John served in the United States Army and then the Air National Guard for five years, training as a helicopter crew chief. John began his Wall Street career at Smith Barney, which he credited for its stellar training. John felt very fortunate to have worked with excellent people throughout his career and to have started in an era where trades were confirmed by paper and the stock exchange was teeming with traders.

John moved to Atlanta and then Houston for various professional opportunities, gaining a reputation as a premier energy analyst at a variety of Wall Street banks during the 1980s and 1990s. Early in his career, John earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Certification, one of the highest certifications possible in financial services. John was named to the Institutional Investor All-Star team nineteen times as one of the top analysts in the country. He made countless speeches on all manner of energy subjects, and he frequently testified as an energy expert in courts throughout North America. John felt that analysts are the advance guards of Wall Street, with a responsibility to dig deep and take a company apart piece by piece to see if it is worth investors’ time and money. His intellectually curious nature and somewhat skeptical perspective fit his job well, and he loved what he did.

John always impressed upon his children the importance of “doing the right thing, even when no one is looking,” and he lived his values. In the early 2000s, John refused to recommend Enron stock despite tremendous internal pressure from his employer, Merrill Lynch, which subsequently fired him. Upon Enron’s implosion, he gained international recognition for being the “honest analyst,” and was featured widely in the media for his perspective on Enron, including appearances on “60 Minutes” and articles in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many others, as well as an accidental but funny appearance on the cover of the National Enquirer (misidentified as an Enron employee). John also served as a source for the book The Smartest Guys in the Room, and he was featured in the documentary of the same name. He moved on professionally to Sanders Morris Harris, where John started his successful hedge fund Houston Energy Partners with his friend Steven Pouns, which he ran until retirement in 2014.

While living in New York City in the mid-1960s, John was set up on a blind date with a young woman from Jackson, Mississippi – Linwood Liddle. She thought he was the smartest man she’d ever met, and he thought she was the most charming girl he’d ever encountered. They married within three years. Their love story grew to include two children, Erik and Kristen, whom they raised in Atlanta, GA, and Houston, TX.

While John and Linwood’s marriage had many chapters, the last one was among the sweetest, as they snuggled in John’s hospital bed and recounted the many happy moments of their lives together. She supported him while he ran six marathons, even though he barely survived the first one due to a lack of training. The Olsons enjoyed trips to China, Russia, Africa, and Morocco, in addition to studying together at Oxford University. Many of their happy summers were spent in Carmel by the Sea, CA, where their cocktail parties were legendary.

For decades, John supported the Salisbury School, a formative institution in his life, where he was a trustee for five years. He received the Outstanding Alum award from Salisbury in 1989. John also served as a board advisor for the Wright Fund at Rice University School of Business, a board member of the Houston Producers Forum, and an active member of River Oaks Country Club.

John was well known in the Houston business community for his willingness to mentor and help young men and women who were interested in the energy business; his children are often stopped by people who recall warmly how their father took time out of his schedule to guide them.

John loved his family, his many friends, golf, Seinfeld, poetry, classical music, and solving the New York Times crossword puzzle. A scholar and a gentleman, he traveled with a ratty, worn-out canvas bag that was filled to the breaking point with large tomes on history, politics, and business. He lived his life with love, honesty, and modesty. He hoped he would be remembered as someone who stayed the course with integrity.

Mr. Olson is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Linwood Liddle Olson; his son, Erik Alexander Olson; his daughter, Kristen Olson Lyons, her husband Joseph Hurley Lyons, and their three children, Audrey Rose Lyons, John Paul Lyons, and Grace Elizabeth Lyons, all of Houston.

In addition to his own children and grandchildren, John adored his sister Whitney’s children, Tony Clark (of Sweden), Margot Clark Junkins (of Connecticut), and Rob Clark (of Rhode Island), and Whitney’s husband, Allen Clark (of Rhode Island), and maintained close relationships with his wonderful Utah cousins and relatives.

He is predeceased in death by his parents, Zembra and Sidney Olson, formerly of Darien, CT; his sister Whitney Clark; and his brother, Stephen Olson. John was looking forward to their heavenly reunion, as well as seeing again his granddog Izzy Olson, whom he loved like no other.

A memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 15th of December, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. Immediately following the service, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the adjacent grand foyer.

The family will gather for a private interment at Glenwood Cemetery.

In lieu of customary remembrances, and for those desiring, memorial contributions may be directed towards St. John’s School, 2401 Claremont Lane, Houston, TX 77019, or the Salisbury School, 251 Canaan Rd, Salisbury, CT 06068.