Larry Olson

Lawrence “Larry” Olson

January 12, 1943~Oct. 20, 2020

Lawrence “Larry” Olson passed away on October 20, 2020, in Anchorage, Alaska. Larry was born on January 12, 1943, in Nome, Alaska, to John and Elizabeth Olson. Larry is preceded in death by his parents John and Elizabeth Olson, his first love and wife, Cora (Senungetuk) Olson, two brothers, Anthony Olson and Helmer Olson, and his sister, Sylvia Olson.

 He is survived by his two brothers Melvin Olson and Vernon Olson, his two children Laura Olson and Eric Olson with his late wife Cora, and three grandchildren, Carlee Elizabeth Olson, Jenny Irene Miller, and Andrew Jake Miller. Although he did not raise them, he viewed Cora’s daughters, Charlotte (Senungetuk) Miller and Leah (Senungetuk) Warburton as his daughters as well. Larry and Cora were married for 38 years until her death in 2011. Larry was married to Darlene (Fischer) Olson, from August 2019 until his death and is survived by Darlene.

Larry was a beloved uncle to a great number of nieces and nephews. He is also survived by Cynthia Williams, Samuel “Sammy” Hanschen, Madelyn “Maddy” Schmitt, Rochelle “Shelly” Hanschen, and Pat Olson who reached out to Larry and helped him love everyone with their kind loving hearts. He loved even more than those who are listed here and is survived by many nieces, great-nieces, nephews, and great-nephews. 

Larry joined the army as a young adult. He often shared stories about his time in the service which were mostly positive and funny stories. After his service in the army, Larry returned home to Seward to work for the Alaska Railroad, where he met Cora. Larry and Cora were married on June 29,1973. They later had two children, Laura Olson, and Eric Olson. The family lived in Seward until 1984 when they moved to Nome to be closer to Cora’s parents. In 1991 the family moved to Anchorage.  

While in Nome, Larry worked for the University of Alaska Northwest Campus as a custodian. In this role, he received awards such as the “Meritorious Service” award for outstanding performance of an individual employee, resulting in an article in the Nome Nugget newspaper praising his morale and dependability. 

In Anchorage, Larry made many friends who became family. He loved many and made you feel like you were a part of his family throughout the generations. Two people, in particular, were a staple in Larry’s life, Christine Otutoa, and Brian McDougal. Christine and Brian often helped the family and were a part of family festivities for many years. They helped the family move, put together food and gifts for special occasions, and they were there to help celebrate each milestone.

Larry was an Elder, who made a point of following Cora’s life-long advice of smiling at everyone, as you don’t know what they are going through. In the end, he was loved by Darlene and her family. Darlene made sure he was surrounded by caring hearts and family through video meetings for those who could not be near due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and she had an open door for those near.

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

www.nomenugget.net

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