Jack Franklin Olson

Jack Franklin Olson, 84, of Greenville, South Carolina died on February 21, 2025. He lived for extended periods of his life in Portland, Oregon, Kansas City, Missouri, and Madison and Edgerton, Wisconsin.

Jack was born June 9, 1940, in Edgerton, Wisconsin. He attended Edgerton High School where, despite not being big and burly, he played fullback on the football team. He also played guard on the basketball team and catcher on the baseball team. He liked playing catcher because it is one of only two positions active on every play. He always wanted to be in on the action.

Jack earned a bachelor's degree (1962) and a law degree (1965) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He served as a law clerk to Justice Tom Fairchild on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, after which he became an associate at the Ross and Stevens law firm in Madison.

In 1974, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, with his first wife Sigrid Erickson (Knuti) and his daughters Ingrid and Greta, where he joined the firm of Blackwell Sanders Matheny Weary & Lombardi as a litigation partner.

In 1979, he and Virginia Willard were married, and they moved to Portland, Oregon, where he co-founded the firm of Olson and Marmaduke, practicing law and mediation there until his retirement.

Throughout his life, Jack was a passionate sportsman, both as a player and as a fan. He was fiercely loyal to the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers, rarely missing a game.

In time, his focus as an athlete narrowed to tennis, and he developed his skills to the point that he and his partner won the doubles championship for the Northwest Region of the US National Tennis Association and competed in the National Championships.

He became an advocate for the game and a USTA teaching pro. He particularly loved to teach young players. At one large family reunion, he gave lessons to all his nieces and nephews, later sending racquets to those with interest. His move to Greenville, South Carolina in 2019 was motivated in part by the year-round availability of clay courts and an abundance of players of his age and skill level.

Jack was a true people person. He was charming and quick-witted and had a remarkable ability to make people feel like they were the center of the universe. He always asked a lot of questions, and even when offering an opinion, it was often posed as a question. The genuine interest he took in people is one of the many wonderful qualities that made him such a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, coach, friend, and uncle.

As Jack moved around the country, he made new friends and kept in touch with the old. He was gregarious, engaging, and genuine, and tennis helped him meet people and make new friends.

As one of his nephews said, "Every memory I have of Jack is him smiling."

Jack was preceded in death by his parents, Helen and Elmer Olson, his brother Ronald Olson, and his daughter Ingrid Olson.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia Willard, his daughter, Greta Landis (David), granddaughter Elsa Landis, grandson Henrik Landis, granddaughter Annika Siddarth (Sid), brothers Clarence "Ole" Olson, Dick Olson, and Tom Olson, and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial services are pending. Contributions in his memory may be sent to Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 415 Crossways Park Drive, Suite D, Woodbury, NY, 11797, or the University of Wisconsin School of Law: https://law.wisc.edu/alumni/gifts.html.