Michael Dell Olson

Mike, also known as Oly, is lovingly remembered by his wife of 32 years, Denise Olson; daughters Lisa Wiechmann (Eric) of Huxley, and Shelley Sharkey of Fairfax, VA; brother Robert Olson of Las Vegas, and sisters Sandra Minnick (Evan) and Julie Brandt (Greg), both of Des Moines. Mike couldn’t have been a prouder “Papa” to his grandchildren – Michael, Ella, Sylvia, Leela and Lucy, and “Uncle Buck” to Austin (Laurie) Olson, Amber (Matt) Kehrer, Ashley (Alex) Hill, Nicholas Brandt and Katherine Brandt and his two furry four-legged children, George and Buddy.

Mike was born on March 5, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. At the ripe age of 7 he made the move to Des Moines. Mike graduated from Roosevelt High School and then served in the US Army from 1975 -1984. After time in the military, Mike started his life-long career in real estate appraising. He had a love and natural gift for numbers and excelled at what he did. Recent years he was involved in commercial property tax protests.

Mike loved hard, played hard, and had the biggest heart for others. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for anyone – family, friend or a stranger. He enjoyed camping and vacationing with his family. He will be very missed by his golfing and card buddies. He also never met a steak he didn’t like, apparently, he had an aversion to vegetables or anything green, or so he said.

Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Virginia and Warren Olson, his in-laws, Pat and Bob Ayers, and his Uncle Bud Olson.

A celebration of life will follow at a later date.