Frederick Douglas Olson

MADISON - Frederick Douglass "Doug" Olson, age 77, of Madison, passed away on Monday, March 16, 2020, at Ingleside Manor with his wife and stepdaughter, Emily by his side. He was born on March 5, 1943, in Queens, N.Y., the son of William and Rose (Kaplan) Olson. Doug attended PS 139 in Queens and at age 14 moved to Wisconsin where he graduated from Monona Grove High School. He attended UW Madison majoring in History. Doug joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1963 until 1969. He served in the U.S. Air National Guard from 1981-1999. Doug worked as a realtor and most recently the Dane County Airport where he retired from in 2018. On Nov. 8, 1997, a mutual friend introduced Doug to Jan. They were married on Feb. 16, 2007. Doug and Jan enjoyed family trips in the summer to Minocqua and visiting various bed and breakfasts. They spent many fun summers at the Ridgewood pool swimming and watching their grandchildren at their swim meets. They had a dream come true trip to Hawaii where many wonderful memories were made. Doug enjoyed old cars, trains, woodworking, music, reading, and the Packers and Badgers. He loved telling the story of playing stick ball as a young boy in Queens. On more than one occasion a young adult would ask the boys if they would let him play with them. The young athlete was Willie Mays. Doug’s father-in-law taught him to fish and the many aspects of farming. This was all intriguing to a big city kid. Doug was famous for his bad jokes that his grandchildren thought were extremely funny. We enjoyed many of Doug's "Walton" breakfasts in which many fond family memories were made. Doug is survived by his wife, Janine Severson Olson; daughter, Kristine (Brian) Koch; grandson, Roman Koch; son, Michael (Sarah) Olson; granddaughters, Sydney, Natalie, Carlye, and Katie Olson; stepdaughters, Emily (Chris) Scheffelman and Kathryn (Brett) Schuster; and step grandchildren, Ella, Lily, and Leo Scheffelman and Owen Schuster. He was preceded in death by his parents; an uncle; and in-laws, Howard and Kathryn Severson. Services for Doug will be private. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or Dane County Humane Society. A special thank you to the staff at Ingleside Communities, especially Rachel, Justin, Michelle, Marilyn, Summer, and Craig. He made many good friends at Ingleside, especially Rachel and Marilyn, who took such kind and loving care to Doug and his family. We would also like to thank Agrace HospiceCare for their compassionate care. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Middleton Funeral & Cremation Care 7435 University Ave (608) 831-6761