Doug Olson

Lowell Douglas Olson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, teacher, entrepreneur, and friend, passed away peacefully on December 3, 2025, at the age of 87, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Born April 18, 1938, in Elmhurst, Illinois, to Henry and Mary Helen Olson, Doug spent his earliest years on a farm near Grace, Idaho, before the family settled in Washington Terrace, Utah. A graduate of Weber High School, he went on to Weber State College, where he served as Senior Class President and earning a B.A. Degree.

Doug honorably served four years in the United States Navy Reserves and later fulfilled a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Africa, an experience that shaped his lifelong love of language, culture, and service.

In 1966 he moved to Chicago to attend law school, where he met the love of his life, Susan “Jane” Ollivier. They married on February 10, 1967, and soon relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, making their home in San Mateo. While raising a young family, Doug taught business and economics at South San Francisco High School and San Francisco State College. He was a dedicated FBLA advisor and served as wrestling coach at SFSC. He later completed his MBA at San Francisco State.

Two sons completed their family: Kurt in 1969 and Nate in 1973.

In 1974 the Olsons returned to Utah, settling in South Ogden. That same year Doug purchased a small equipment rental business, renamed it Universal Rent-All, and grew it into a thriving enterprise with locations in Ogden and Clearfield, plus a successful wedding and party rental division that Jane operated. For more than three decades he was a respected leader in the industry, holding numerous positions with the Utah Rental Association and the American Rental Association.

Doug’s commitment to community was tireless. An active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served in many callings over the years. He gave generously of his time to Wasatch Community Adoptions, Union Station, Head Start, and RAMP. For more than forty years he was a devoted member of the Rotary Club of Ogden, serving as club president, assistant district governor, and earning the distinction of Paul Harris Fellow. Together with Jane, he participated in Rotary humanitarian trips to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and India.

Doug and Jane shared 51 years of marriage filled with adventure, having visited more than 40 countries together. He loved music of every kind, historical novels, skiing, basketball, and, most of all, gathering his family around the table, where he would quiz everyone on the U.S. Constitution or the Four Pillars of Government, dazzle the children with string tricks, slip foreign coins into little hands, or teach his great-grandchildren a few words of Afrikaans.

A man of unshakable integrity, Doug taught by example the values he cherished: fair play, hard work, honesty, and kindness. His warm laugh, quick wit, and generous spirit touched countless lives.

Doug is survived by his son, Kurt (Kelly) Olson; seven grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Jane; his son, Nate; his parents; and his siblings.

He will be laid to rest beside Jane and Nate at Lindquist’s Washington Heights Memorial Park in South Ogden.

A Celebration of Doug’s remarkable life will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, from 12 to 3 p.m. at The Foundry Event Center, 2452 East 6700 South #C, Uintah, Utah, 84405.

In the words Doug loved to say in Afrikaans after every family feast:

“My maag is vol en my broek is styf”
— My belly is full and my pants are tight.

Well done, good and faithful servant. Rest in peace.

Arrangements entrusted to Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary.