- Date Of Birth: August 2, 1926
- Date Of Death: December 13, 2021
- State: Utah
Kirt Melvin Olson, 95 years of age, passed away peacefully with family by his side, on December 13, 2021, in Harlingen, TX. His family was infinitely blessed to have him, as he was everything they could have ever imagined or dreamed of in a good husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a larger-than-life hero for all of his family and for so many who knew him and were touched by his life.
Kirt was born on August 2, 1926, in Murray, Utah, to Frank Levern Olson and Anna Maria Fredrickson. Kirt graduated from Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and served on an aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy in WWII. He was presented with his Eagle Scout award on his naval ship; his step-mother submitted all of the paperwork for him and made sure they awarded it to him before his 18th birthday.
Having been raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he read the entire Book of Mormon for the first time while serving in WWII. He powerfully felt the Spirit of the Lord through that book, which brought him great comfort, peace and companionship during that difficult time. He never looked back after that. He spent everyday in gratitude for the precious gift that book was to him and for the Love and Mercy of the Savior. He chose to repay his “debt” in service. His was a life of service.
Many who served in the armed forces during WWII didn’t serve missions, but after 4 years in WWII, he served 3 years and 8 months on a mission to Sweden, where he was also able to do a lot of family history work. His mother had immigrated from Sweden and his father’s parents had done the same. After his mission, he enrolled at Utah State University, where he met his eternal sweetheart, Beth Olsen, and they were married in the Logan Utah Temple on September 21, 1953. They’ve been married for 68 years, with 9 children, 61 grandchildren, and 100 great-grandchildren, and counting.
Kirt earned a B.S. in Agriculture from Utah State University, and later, a Master’s in International Education from Universidad de las Americas Puebla. Early on in his marriage, he earned an award for top national insurance sales, but his soul hungered for something more. He got a job teaching and administering at the seminary at the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City, Utah, which nurtured a precious, long-lasting association with Spencer W. Kimball, Boyd K. Packer and many other notable Church leaders. He then worked a number of years for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where he and his family spent many years living on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, where they engaged in humanitarian work, taught in schools, and he was a school principal.
Kirt also had a recording studio in New Mexico, where he recorded Glen Campbell and many others, earning a Gold Record from the recording industry. Kirt wrote numerous Native American pageants, producing music records for those. He brought “Go My Son” into being; it was he who helped create, work with and record Arlene Nofchissi and Carnes Burson to produce that song and record. He also played a central role behind the Tom Trails filmstrip series and many other meaningful works of their time.
In the late 60s, he had an experience that drew him to Mexico and Latin America, and that changed his life and his family’s. He engaged in a great number of agricultural development projects there and also helped lead the vast Church Educational System that was in Mexico. His family lived in Mexico for 7 years and his family has stayed connected to Mexico ever since. In 1975, Kirt returned to Salt Lake City to head the Audio-Visual Department for the Church, but was only there for 2 years before being called to serve as mission president in Bogota, Colombia, where he presided with his family for 3 years, and worked tirelessly to nourish his missionaries and serve the people throughout the vast mission.
He continued to do humanitarian work amongst the Native American, Latin American, Pacific Islander and Hispanic peoples for the rest of his life, first by working as Assistant Director of BYU’s American Indian Services (traveling all over), while he lived with his family in Orem, Utah. And then by serving the people along the Border in the Rio Grande Valley. He lived for over 36 years in Bayview, Texas where he had a farm of grapefruits, oranges and avocados. He named his property “Cielito Lindo,” and found it to be a little piece of heaven in Texas. He loved working on his farm, returning to Mexico whenever possible, and serving the wonderful people in the Valley.
He has helped so many people and has engaged in so many projects with fearless vision and dedicated compassion in the Southwest U.S., Mexico, Colombia and the Rio Grande Valley that it’s difficult to capture the magnitude of the difference he made. He woke up early every morning and worked very hard in service until retiring to bed, decade upon decade.
In addition to serving as a mission president, he served as a bishop numerous times, both in English and Spanish; he served in stake presidencies; was stake mission president and high counselor numerous times. He also served as stake patriarch, in both English and Spanish.
He taught his children to love and respect their mother, and he loved his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren without limit. He filled his family’s life with excitement, wonder, and adventure, and their days were permeated with faith, hope, love and joy. He used to say, “Good night. See you on Christmas morning,’ to his children. They would say, “Tomorrow isn’t Christmas, Daddy.” He would then say, “Every day is Christmas at our house.” And it was.
Kirt was a great source of wisdom, love, support, and guidance. We feel so much gratitude and love for him and the wonderful life he created and provided. His legacy lives on. He showed us that we love God by loving and serving others. He will not be forgotten. We will miss him, but we look forward to a glorious reunion someday, a reunion he is already enjoying with his mother (who passed when he was nine), his step mothers, his father, his grandparents, some of his brothers and sisters, his grandson Poasa and son-in-law Apai, many friends, and many great and noble people who went before him and embrace him with gratitude for a life well lived.
He is survived by his wife, Beth Olsen Olson, his children Julie Anne Haynie (Michel), Kirt Stephen Olson (Shaunee), Rose Marie Rareba, Linda Mae Olson, Samuel Melvin Olson (Anne), John Benjamin Olson (Marianne), Kathryn Sue Cookson (Bennett), Tiani Xochitl Coleman (Gregory), Sara Jayne Mata (Channon); his sister Sonja Head (Kitchener); his brother John Olson (Betty); his sister-in-law Linnea Hatch; and his numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his grandson, Poasa Kirt Rareba; his son-in-law Apai Nadavelevu Rareba; his great granddaughter, Lillian Dorine Haynie; his mother, Anna Maria Fredrickson Olson; his step-mother Eva Teeples Hatch Olson; his step-mother Agnes Strong Freeman Ericson Olson, his father Frank Levern Olson; his sisters Barbara Stock (Blackie) and Nancy Gates; his brothers Paul Olson (Annie) and Harvey Hatch.
