Hans Olson: July 22, 1930 – Feb. 7, 2017

Hans Martin Olson, “Swede,” 86, passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 7, 2017, surrounded by family. He spent the last few days of his life doing what he loved best – sipping coffee (half-a-cup!), and watching the boats pass by on Skagit Bay.

Swede was born July 22, 1930 in Oak Harbor to Ole Martin and Vera (Chirvonsoff) Olson. The oldest of four children, he grew up on the homestead farm near what is now Mariners Cove with his sisters Dorothy, Nancy and Vera. He graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1948. In 1951, during the Korean War, he joined the U.S. Navy where he served as a boatswain’s mate on an oiler.

Swede’s passion for fishing defined his life, while the catch and the changing gear defined his seasons – Kings in the summer, Silvers in the fall, and Dungeness crab in the winter. As a boy he fished beside his father from an open skiff on Skagit Bay. After high school, he spent two summers in Kodiak, Alaska, working on a seiner. When he returned from Korea in about 1955, he purchased the Domar and resumed commercial fishing. As the gear continued to improve, he built the first Ellen Lynn in 1967, and the second Ellen Lynn in 1973. Swede also spent several summers fishing in southeast Alaska in the late 1970s including the 5-day passage along Vancouver Island. He would later joke that he earned his fishing degree from the “University of Mariners Cove.” As a gillnetter, Swede always fished at night, so during the day he delivered mail for the U.S. Postal Service for 20 years.

Swede loved his family and was devoted to their happiness. In 1957, he met and married Marlene Zitek from Redmond, Ore. Soon after, they built a house near his childhood home and had four children.

Over the last 30 years, Swede suffered several strokes and heart attacks, but always managed to recover. In the late 1990s he retired from fishing and enjoyed visiting with his grandchildren and cheering their achievements. He was a charter member of the Oak Harbor Lutheran Church and a 50-year member of the American Legion, George Morris Post 129 of Oak Harbor.

He spent the last two years at San Juan Nursing Home. He is survived by his wife Marlene, their four children: Robert Olson (Judy), Sheryl Welch (Richard), Nancy Sherrer (Kent) and Greg Olson (Eva); their 11 grandchildren and his sister Dorothy Gilbert.

A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, 2017 at the Oak Harbor Lutheran Church, 1253 NW 2nd Ave. Oak Harbor, WA 98277. Remembrances can be made to the Pastor’s Emergency Fund at Oak Harbor Lutheran Church.

Friends and family are encouraged to share memories and condolences in the Book of Memories hosted by Wallin Funeral Home at www.wallinfuneralhome.com