Thomas Olson

Thomas Olson, age 85, passed away March 3, 2015. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan to George and Dorothy (Poland) Olson. As a student at Muskegon High School he worked after school and on weekends at his family's business, Olson's Music House on Western Avenue. He attended Muskegon Community College and then completed his degree in Business at Michigan State University. Tom joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Navy's Pacific Fleet during the Korean War. While stationed in London, England, he met and married his wife Ruth Stahl, who was also stationed in London as a Navy WAVE. They returned to Muskegon where Tom joined the family business, now Olson's Appliances. Over the many years at Olson's Appliance store, he earned the respect and loyalty of the hundreds of families who have done business with him. Tom was a lifelong member of Central United Methodist Church. He served as an usher there for many years until he couldn't make it up the aisle anymore. He loved classical music and attended as many classical concerts as he could, enjoying our local Symphony. He was an expert in geography and history. His passions in addition to his business included cribbage, golf, fine dining, and travel. Above all he loved socializing with friends, customers, neighbors, & complete strangers. SURVIVORS Wife of 58 years, Ruth; 7 children, Kara Olson of San Francisco, Juliet Linda Olson of San Francisco, Eric M. Olson of Muskegon, Leif Olson (Nina Norton) of Los Angeles, Ingrid Olson (Junhyong Kim) of Philadelphia, Kurt Olson (Maria Allen) of Williamsburg VA, Heather Olson (Peter Franco) of Austin TX; 13 grandchildren, Miles, Pierce, Wyatt & Zane Olson, Oble, Octavio & Olivia Kim, Fiona, Lily, Georgia & Alexandra Olson, Plato & Minka Franco. He was preceded in death by his brother Daniel P. Olson (1934-2014) and sister Arlene Olson Houts (1927-1976). MEMORIAL SERVICE Saturday, March 14, 2015, 11:00 am at Central United Methodist Church with Rev. Mark Miller officiating. MEMORIAL: Central United Methodist Church.