John Edward Olsson

John E. Olsson May 14, 1926 to January 28, 2015 John was born in Queens, New York in 1926 to Albin and Ida Marie Olsson, Swedish immigrants. He became a sailor like his father and grandfather before him, graduating from the New York Maritime Academy in 1946. He was an officer in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Spokane. After graduating in 1951 from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, John continued on with Fulton & Cramer now as a full-time Engineer. Then in 1956 he became the sole engineer in his new company, John E. Olsson Professional Engineering. His wife Jean performed clerical work and their first project was a cemetery plat for J. Township in Seward County. Although his degree was in mechanical engineering, John became a registered civil engineer and land surveyor, and did a lot of work with municipalities. The business grew and then in 1962 joined a partnership with Clark & Enersen. In 1970 John formed John E. Olsson & Associates. Today, Olsson Associates employs 900 people in 24 offices in eight states, providing planning, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental services as well as engineering. John served on the board of Olsson Associates, Cooper Foundation, the National Bank of Commerce and Ameritas Life Insurance. He founded the Olsson Family Foundation, and was involved in many community organizations, including serving as president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, president of the Community Chest (now United Way), and the boards of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army. He has supported Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska and was a member of the Advisory Board of the University’s College of Engineering and the recipient of its 1996 Outstanding Alumnus Award. John is a longtime member and served as a trustee and elder of First Presbyterian Church as well as for Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. In what spare time he had, John enjoyed sailing, playing tennis and spending time at Pelican Lake in Minnesota with his wife Nancy and her children, Jane Firestone (Dave), Bill Etmund, Tom Etmund (Janet) and Sarah Gilson (Gary) along with seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jean Guenzel Olsson. Family includes: brother Ted Olsson; children, Sarah O’Neill, Bud and Janeese Olsson, Liz and Steve Jordet, and John S. and Jody Olsson; grandchildren, John Lewis, Steve (Beth) O’Neill, Scott O’Neill and Matt, Jack, Kate and Nick Olsson.