John Whittemore Olson

John was born in Vermillion, South Dakota on September 18th, 1940 to Lester K. And Dorothy W. Olson. John’s father was a Colonel in the US Army. His mother worked for the National Security Agency (NSA). John and his family traveled often due to his father’s career. As a child, they traveled often with the military living in several different states as well as Japan. John was known for his kindness and sense of humor.

John obtained a Bachelors of Science in Math at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He followed ih his father’s footsteps and joined the United States Army after receiving his BS. John went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Tulane University. He successfully completed the Master of Military Art and Science (MMAS) at Fort Leavenworth. He served for 22 years in the US Army, including a tour in Vietnam, and eventually retiring as a Lt Colonel from the US Army. His military honors include Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon , Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, M-14 Marksman Qualification Badge, and Pistol .45 Caliber Marksman Qualification Badge. He served in the Republic of Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase V and the Republic of Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase VI campaigns. After retiring for the first time, he joined the Hughes Helicopter team in Mesa (McDonald Douglas Helicopter/Boeing Helicopter) in Mesa, Arizona in 1985. John retired for the second time in 1996. John continued to work as a contractor with Boeing Helicopter until he eventually retired for the third and final time in 2009.

John married Joan Moore of Troy, New York in May 1962 while attending RPI. Joan was attending Russell Sage College majoring in Nursing. John also received a MBA from Tulane. John and Joan had three children, Kirstin, Erica and John Joseph. Together, John and Joan loved to listen to music, play cribbage & bridge and traveling. They traveled throughout the world, spending 6 years in Germany, taking many Windjammer Barefoot Cruises in the Caribbean, small ship cruising in Alaska, Costa Rica, South Pacific, Japan, and the Galapagos. After Joan passed away unexpectedly, John continued to travel around the world on small cruises. John traveled four times with Semester-At-Sea (2 summer voyages) and one fall and one spring voyage around the world. John was looking forward to his next adventure on a cruise to Antarctica in 2026 with his daughter Kris. If John was not traveling or working, he could be found reading a book or playing on his computer. If there was a funny joke to be found, he was sure to find it and send it to his friends and family.

John was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Joan, who died unexpectedly in early 2007. He is survived by his three children, his daughter Kirstin of Mountain House, CA, his son, John J with his wife Huichi, and granddaughter, Raechel, of Las Vegas, NV, and his daughter, Erica Melies with her husband, PJ, and grandchildren, Brody and Austin, and great-grandson, Ryder, of Mesa, AZ. He is survived by his sister, Karen Lennon of Cos Cob, CT, and his twin brother, Peter Olson and his wife, Patricia, of El Paso, Texas, and their children and grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on December 23rd, 2023 at 1:00pm at Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park at 6747 E Broadway Rd, Mesa, AZ 85206. A secondary memorial service is planned to be held in June 2024 at his family home in Vermillion, South Dakota.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in John's memory may be made to Catholic Charities Mana House, that supports military veterans in finding a home. https://www.manahouseaz.org/donation/campaign-pages/help-a-veteran-today.