Odd William (Bill) Olsen

October 27, 1936 - October 5, 2020

Odd William (Bill) Olsen was born on October 27, 1936 in Stavanger, Norway. He passed away on October 5, 2020 in Tigard, Oregon. Bill was the youngest of 5 children, who were born to Carl and Sanna Olsen. Much of his childhood was shaped by World War II, as Germany occupied Norway from April 1940 until the Nazi surrender in May of 1945. By the spring of 1948, his family decided to seek better opportunities and sailed to the United States of America, settling in Salt Lake City. Bill spent his teenage years in Salt Lake and graduated from East High School. He returned to Norway from 1956 to 1959, where he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon his return to the United States, he courted and married his sweetheart Turid, a fellow Norwegian. They married on November 20, 1959 in the Los Angeles Temple. Together, they have six children (Debbie, Scott, Lisa, Paul, Deanna, and Philip), 14 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. As a married couple, they lived in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay area. In 1990, they purchased a plot of land in Newberg and built a home on Oxberg Lake. Bill felt at home in Newberg, with a climate similar to his native land of Norway. Bill worked as a seafood broker for 56 years. In 1982, he decided to go into business for himself - forming Olsen International. He ran this business until he was 79 years old. Bill served the community in many capacities. He was in the U.S. Army reserve for six years. In Church, he served twice as a Bishop and twice as a Counselor in the Stake Presidency. He also served as a Scoutmaster, where he was well known for helping dozens of young men achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He loved to tell Norwegian jokes. He is loved by many and will be missed upon this earth. His body will be interred on Oct. 17 at Valley View Memorial Park in Newberg, Oregon.