Richard William Olson

He was born on July 1, 1945, to the late Earl “Red” Olson and Marjorie VanLare.

Richard was both a graduate of UCLA and held a Master of Divinity degree as well. He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force as a Tech Sergeant, where he completed several tours in Vietnam and worked as a crew chief for Chuck Yager. After being honorably discharged, Richard would later serve as a Deacon for the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts as well as the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Southbridge Fire Department, where he faithfully served as the fire chaplain for many years before moving to NC to retire near his family. Richard had many hobbies and interests in his life including fishing, photography, waterskiing, and gas-powered model airplanes. He was very active in his community and church where he enjoyed working with the youth and was always giving back. His dedication and service to the community earned him the Father Mychal Judge award from MA Corps of Fire Chaplains. Richard was a compassionate, generous and loving man with a kind smile, humor, and words of wisdom and will truly be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Richard is survived by his loving wife, Donna M. Olson; son, Kristopher T. Loretz; daughter-in-law, Katie E. Loretz; grandchildren, Aidan K. Loretz and Juliana M. Loretz; brother, David Olson, and sisters, Karen Olson, Cheryle Miller, and Joan Shaw.

A service with military honors will be held at a later date at Salisbury National Cemetery.

For the last several years, one of the things that brought Richard great joy was attending the monthly Veterans Coffee House with his fellow military brethren. In lieu of flowers, please consider giving a donation to the Waxhaw Baptist Church Veterans Coffee House. Donations may be made through the church website: https://waxhawbaptist.org, click "Give" in the upper right corner, and be sure to memo “For Veterans Coffee House, in memory of Richard Olson”.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mcewenmonroechapel.com for his family.

McEwen Funeral Home of Monroe is honored to serve the family of Rev. Richard W. Olson.