Obituary - William 'Will' August Olsen

William “Will” Olsen of Bozeman, 82, passed away Thursday, December 26, 2024. 

Will was born on February 5, 1942, to Nellie and Ralph Olsen in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of four children, Will grew up in a loving and faithful family on the southside of Chicago. After graduating from Fenger High School in 1959, he attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. He graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. During his college years, Will worked at the Wilderness Canoe Base in Northern Minnesota and continued to support outdoor education and wilderness experiences throughout his life.

Following college, Will attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He spent his internship year in Bothell, Washington, at First Lutheran Church. It was in Bothell that he met his future wife on a blind date arranged by members of the church. Will and Geraldine (Geri) Clark got married at the end of his internship year, on August 16, 1968. They returned to St. Paul for his final year of seminary and Geri taught at a nearby elementary school. After graduating from the seminary with a Master of Divinity in 1969, Will was ordained as a pastor in the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and his first call was at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairmont, Minnesota. In 1970, he accepted his second call at Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church in Hanley Falls, Minnesota. Geri and Will’s daughter Jennifer was born while living in Hanley Falls. In 1976 the family moved to Havre, Montana, where Will served at Messiah Lutheran Church. While living in Havre, sons Kristofer and Joshua were born. During his years in Havre, Will was actively involved in school, music, and sports activities supporting his children. He also served as a School Board Member with Havre Public Schools and was on the Board of Directors at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp.

In 1999, Will accepted his final call to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Webster, SD, and served that parish until his retirement in 2008. He remained active at St. John’s until they moved to Montana. After Will retired, he stayed busy with the Webster Kiwanis and by founding and serving as the executive director of the PACH (People Against Child Hunger) program in Webster–a program for food insecure children where nutritious food was provided to students in need. Seeing a problem and providing a solution was a recurring theme in Will’s life as he strived to serve others. In May of 2022, Will and Geri moved to Bozeman, Montana, to be near family. Retirement years were full of travel, visiting friends and family with Will readying the car for many a road trip. While in Bozeman, Will was active at Christ the King Lutheran Church, participating in one book group and bible study groups. He and Geri also made sure to attend their grandchildren’s music, dance and sports events.

Will had many passions. An avid Chicago Cubs fan, young Will loved to tell stories of riding the bus across town to catch a game at Wrigley Field; throughout his life he continued to travel to see the Cubs play and attended spring training numerous times. He loved playing golf and played almost daily after retirement when they lived on the golf course in Webster. He loved to laugh and make others laugh, reveling in practical jokes throughout his life. Will was passionate about the outdoors spending formative years leading Wilderness canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area; he worked hard to get his children outside skiing, camping and recreating often.

Will is survived by his wife, Geri, of 56 years; his daughter, Jennifer Olsen Krengel, her husband, Jeff Olsen Krengel, and their son William of St. Paul, MN; his older son, Kristofer Olsen, his wife, Allison Wynhoff Olsen, and their two children Sora and Kavi, of Bozeman, MT; and his youngest son, Joshua Olsen, his wife, Bina Peters, and their son Nash of Bozeman, MT. Will is also survived by his sister-in-law, Pat Olsen, of Bellevue, OH; older sister, Jay Duncan, of Austin, TX; older brother, David Olsen, and his wife, Audrey, of Lake Elmo, MN; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and oldest brother, Ronald Olsen.

Visitation was held Thursday, January 2, from 3-5 pm at Dokken-Nelson Funeral Home in Bozeman, MT. Funeral Service was Friday, January 3, at 10:30 a.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bozeman, MT, followed by a reception at the church and graveside service at Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman. The service will be live streamed (see link below). 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following non-profit organizations that Will was passionate about.

Webster Area PACH Program in Webster, SD; Send Checks to PO Box 252, Webster SD 57274.

Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, Lakeside, MT; https://flbc.net/donate-volunteer .

Montana Wilderness School, Bozeman, MT; https://www.montanawildernessschool.org/donate

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Bozeman, MT; https://ctkbozeman.org/give .