- Date Of Birth: April 7, 1933
- Date Of Death: December 24, 2019
- State: Utah
Gloria Diane Lowe Olsen passed peacefully on December 24, 2019 from heart failure after she had carefully written all her Christmas cards to her friends and family. She was born at her childhood home on April 7, 1933 to Lester and Golden Grace Lowe in Franklin, Idaho, the youngest of four children. She described her childhood as a blur of running, jumping, and climbing trees with her devoted little dog Mona.
Diane attended grade school in Franklin, Idaho and high school in Preston, Idaho, where she excelled in music, dance and drama. She performed and sang in many plays; her favorite was the lead character in Arsenic and Old Lace. While performing in the opera, The Desert Song, she noticed the violin player, Richard Olsen, who played several solos and was in her Spanish class. She asked Richard to a swimming party, then he asked her to sit by him on the bus when the school choir and orchestra performed in Boise, Idaho. They shared their first kiss when the band director wasn’t looking and from that moment on, they were always together dreaming, and scheming how someday they would travel the world, starting with Mexico. After high school graduation, Richard served a three-year church mission to Japan and Diane promised she would wait.
Diane attended LDS Business College and Brigham Young University while waiting for Richard on his mission. One week after Richard returned from Japan, they got married in the Logan LDS Temple. Diane went to work as a typist in the Logan Courthouse while Richard completed his bachelor’s degree at Utah State University. Later, after Diane’s children were born, she finished her college education at Utah State University in Elementary Education and Library Science. During, this time, Diane and Richard performed together in a country western band. Raising their family in North Logan, Utah, later they moved to Perry, Utah where they purchased a cherry orchard. Richard and Diane built their home while living in it. Diane loved the solitude at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge watching birds and listening to their calls. She also loved collecting insects with her children, grandchildren, and neighbors and led several 4-H bug clubs for them.
Richard and Diane (but mostly Diane) ran several successful businesses during their 65 years of marriage: painting houses, mink ranching, and apartment rentals.
Diane and Richard fulfilled their high school dream, traveling together on trips all over the world, many of those trips in their favorite blue and white Bellanca airplane, catamarans, sailboats, campers and motorhomes. Diane loved adventure and was always a willing and excited traveler. A faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Diane served in the relief society and primary. She was a creative primary chorister. Children loved to sing with her. Diane’s love of music and dance continued throughout her life as she sang soprano in ward choirs, duets, and danced with The Hot Flash Tappers. Diane loved her family and doted on her grandchildren. She was an extraordinary wife, always putting Richard as her top priority. No man could have a greater gift in this life than having Diane for a wife.
Diane is survived by her three children, Dewey (Maxine) Olsen, Barney (Chris) Olsen, and Michelle (Michael) Taylor, 11 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Three years ago, she was preceded in death by her husband. Recently, she had a glorious dream of Richard letting her know he was anxious for her to return to him. As always, she was packed and ready to go when she left this life to join Richard on their next great adventure.
