Ronald Olson

Ronald James Olson passed away on May 20, 2026, in Lake Havasu City, AZ, at the age of 77. Ron was born on June 16, 1948, in Everett, Washington, the only son of Glenn and Phyllis (Lyons) Olson.

He lived most of his life in northern Minnesota—Deer River where he spent his childhood and youth and married his high school sweetheart Regina Wood; Bemidji where he went to college; Thief River Falls where they worked and raised their family.

He worked in pipeline maintenance for 34 years for Lakehead Pipeline, which later became Enbridge, Inc., primarily as a heavy equipment operator. He believed in working both harder and smarter than expected.

He was the kind of guy who read the instructions, always measuring twice and cutting once. As a worker (and a union rep) he was a thorn in the side of executives who, nonetheless, turned to him to analyze problems on the job and figure out solutions.

He was quick to tell a story and clever enough to tell it right—as long as there were listeners who knew to consider the size of the fish and divide by three.

A member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, he was proud of both his Native American and Norwegian ancestry. He was a member of various civic organizations, including Sons of the American Legion and the Eagles. Most of his non-work life centered on Minnesota lake life: fishing, boating, camping, and gathering with friends and family by campfires.

Other interests involved support of his children; for example, serving as president of the youth AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) swim club and volunteering with the United Methodist Youth Group. He learned patience late in life doing intricate scroll saw work.

He was loved by his wife of 57 years Regina Olson, their son Keith Olson and daughter Ellen Olson and her husband David Schwab, sisters-and-brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was adored by his grandchildren Noah and Audrey. He was preceded in death by his parents.

He enjoyed over 20 years of retirement in Lake Havasu City, appreciating the Arizona sunshine after a life of working outside in the cold. His last two years of life were plagued by a variety of ailments, a failing health, and then—too soon—a speedy death . . . because he had no patience left for suffering.