Born May 27, 1942, in Rochester, Minnesota, David Martin Olsen was the son of Dr. Arthur Martin Olsen and Yelena Pavlinova Olsen. After
graduating from Cranbook School in Michigan, Dave attended Union College in New York, graduating in 1964 with a Political Science degree.
Dave joined the Air Force and achieved top honors in Japanese at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey.
Dave was then assigned to Tokyo as a counterintelligence and investigative officer. He retired from the Air Force in 1974, attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Dave pursued another career in the food industry with Diana Fruit. On retirement he moved up to Nevada City in 2005, excited to be closer to his family.
With his first wife, Kim Davis, he had one son, Christopher Anders. From his second marriage, to Mary Teresa Ribet, he raised four more children—Jerry, George, Anthony and Dina.
Dave was a gifted musician. In college, he played the bass guitar with his band Weasel and the Wharf Rats. In Nevada City he sang with the Sierra Master Chorale and with Music in the Mountains. With a vast collection of CDs, Dave had a fine ear and an encyclopedic memory for music both famous and utterly unknown.
One of the great joys of Dave’s life in Nevada City was his association with KVMR. Dave hosted Good Foot Radio, a blues program that ran on Thursday morning from 4 to 7. A month ago he hosted a final show, “The Last Playlist”. Dozens of his listeners called in to thank him for his many years of getting them out of bed on a good foot and ready for the day ahead.
Dave is survived by his son, Chris Olsen; Chris’ wife, Tina Morales; his grandchildren, Christina and Davis Olsen; his three sisters, Ann Olsen Jost, Karen Yelena Olsen and Mary Elizabeth Olsen; his longtime partner, Kit Haskell; and his four stepchildren.
After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Dave died peacefully at home on Sunday, June 9th. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
Dave’s family requests that donations in his memory go to Hospice of the Foothills. His celebration of life will take place at the Miner’s Foundry on Friday, June 28th at 2pm.
