Roy Ernest Olson

Dr. Roy Ernest Olson, 97, of West Olive, died Friday, April 24, 2020 in Sarasota, Florida at home with family. He was born in Minneapolis, MN on November 28, 1922 to Ernest & Else (Nygaard) Olson, who were immigrants from Sweden and Norway. Roy lived on a wheat farm in North Dakota until the death of his father, a WWI veteran, when he was seven. His mother moved Roy and his younger brother, Walter, to Holly, Michigan to live near her sister. Roy loved Michigan's beauty and recalled that as a boy it had seemed a paradise with its many lakes and trees. He swam in the lakes, played baseball, ice hockey and biked country roads. There he and his brother made lifelong friends at church and school and on the playing fields. He served his country as a technical sergeant and medic in the US Army during WWII, 1943-46. He married the former Virginia (Jinny) Serns July 10, 1949, and later had two children. He attended Andrews University, the University of Illinois where he received his DDS degree, and the University of Missouri for his residency in oral surgery. Dr. Olson was in private practice in Wisconsin and Illinois and was a professor of oral surgery at the University of Chicago. He retired in 1991 and moved to West Olive. There he enjoyed boating on Lake Michigan, working in his yard and woodland garden, and walking in Kirk Park. His children honored him with a park bench overlooking the lake, with a plaque reading "Live close to nature." Roy was a member of the Grand Haven Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was also affiliated with the Grand Haven First Presbyterian Church where he was a long-time member of the men's group.Throughout the years he was a generous supporter of local and international charities including, Holland Rescue Mission, Holland Adventist Academy, International Aid, among others. He sponsored two nursing students in Haiti through the Haiti Nursing Foundation. He is survived by his daughter, Suzanne (Ken Simon) Fleming of Ann Arbor; his son, Steven (Becky) Olson of Hinsdale, Il; five grandchildren, Evan (Gabriella) Fleming, Kira, (Carl) Stalhandske; Karin Olson, Kristin Olson and Kari Olson; his brother, Walter (Shirley) Olson of Munising, Mi, and five nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his beloved wife, Virginia "Jinny." SERVICE A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial gifts may be made to Adventist Disaster Relief Agency, Holland Rescue Center, International Aid, Inc. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook. Clock Funeral Home