Barry Thomas Olson was born in Great Falls, Montana on August 28, 1938, to Arthur Olson of Fairfield, Montana and Sadie Sulgrove of Choteau, Montana and was raised in the West. Barry graduated from high school in Riverdale, North Dakota in 1956.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of North Dakota in 1963. He received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and served on active duty at Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana in the Civil Engineering Squadron. He worked with the Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle and Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana and became a registered engineer in 1968 in North Dakota.
He then attended law school at the University of North Dakota and graduated in 1971 with a degree of Juris Doctor. He was a Phi Delta Phi Graduate of the Year and published in the North Dakota Law Review.
After 5 years as a Deputy County Attorney with the Cascade County Attorney’s Office, Barry went into private practice and retired in 2007.
Olson was recruited into service in the USAFR after law school in the Judge Advocate General’s office at Malmstrom and Vandenburg Air Force Base, California. He was promoted to Colonel in 1989 and retired from the USAF Reserves in 1994 with 30 years of service.
Barry enjoyed tennis and golf and was a member of the Meadow Lark Country Club. He loved the outdoors, elk hunting, floating the Missouri river, and cooking. He hosted his sister-in-law’s brothers on elk hunts where his elk camp trailer is in the lore of the family.
He never married but regularly visited his extended family where his dry and witty humor was always welcomed. He is survived by his brother, Les Olson of Carrizozo, New Mexico; and two nephews, Eric Olson of Madison, Alabama and Kirk Olson of Au Gres, Michigan.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Schnider Funeral Home website.
