Barbara Ann Olson

On a warm summer day in 1950, Barbara went roller skating with friends and met the love of her life, Richard (Dick) Olson from El Paso, Texas. Barbara graduated from Granite High School in Salt Lake City. She and Dick dated for 5 years, while she worked as a telephone operator and as a bookkeeper at the Rainbow bread company. They married on May 21st, 1955 and moved to Texas for Dick’s deployment in the Air Force.

The Olson’s moved to Berkely, California in 1958. Barbara worked for the registrar’s office of U.C. Berkely. In 1960 she had her first daughter, Carolyn. In 1962 they moved to L.A. and had her second daughter, Pamela. In 1965 they moved to their forever home in the Somerset community of Bellevue, Washington. While in Bellevue, Barbara worked at many volunteer jobs. She was a leader of her daughter’s Camp Fire groups until high school graduation. She enjoyed planning activities and trips for both her groups of camp fire girls. Barbara was a member of the original planning commission for Somerset elementary school creating the design and working closely with the administration. She was an active member of the PTA and PTSA of Lake Heights Elementary, Somerset Elementary, Tyee Junior high and Newport high school. In 1980 Barbara was honored with the Golden Acorn award for her work with the PTA.

Barbara was a lifelong advocate for the environment and recycling, running a newspaper recycling effort in Somerset through the 1970’s. The 70’s were spent boating on summer weekends with the family and the Yarrow Bay yacht club and skiing in the winters, though she enjoyed the lodge more than the slopes.

With her children out of college, Barbara joined Dick when he was transferred to Alabama in the late ‘80’s and spent several years being an active volunteer in the City of Madison, Alabama and was a member of the Madison Garden club. Her proudest accomplishment was bringing recycling to Madison. For her work as the chairman of the City of Madison Beautification board and creating a recycling program in Madison, the mayor of Madison proclaimed the 12th of November “Barbara Olson Day.”

Her return to Bellevue in the ‘90’s included another decade of volunteer service to the community of Somerset resulting in a certificate for 40 years of volunteer service in 2006.

In the 1990’s another change happened, her grandson, Ethan, was born and Barbara was happily renamed “Mamoo” and spent Ethan’s toddler years as his babysitter and childcare provider. He was the delight of her twilight years. As he grew older, she attended every basketball game, band concert, football game she could. Taking him, and the whole family, to Disney World as well as boat trips and family vacations.

Barbara and Dick spent much of their retirement traveling with their friends, the Ryan’s, on multiple trips to places around the world including Hawaii, Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand and Italy as well as vacationing on their boat, Stargazer, with the Bellevue Yacht club. Barbara loved to travel and made friends everywhere she went.

She loved music and watching Dick play in the Bellevue Community Band, where she served as a board member, and the swing band at the North Bellevue Community Center, where she was a volunteer and the cookie lady. Baking and bringing dozens of chocolate chip cookies with her every week.

Barbara died on August 13, 2024 at Overlake hospital in Bellevue after a long illness. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, George and Ruby Brown, and is survived by her husband of 69 years, Richard Olson, her daughters Carolyn McManus of Kent and Pamela Olson of Bellevue and her beloved grandson, Ethan Walker. She will be greatly missed.

Remembrances for Barbara: Please make a donation to the charity of your choice or volunteer in her name.

There will be a private internment on August 31st and a celebration of life to be announced later.