Matthew Olson

Matthew (Matt) Olson, 43, of Aurora, CO passed away on April 4, 2017 after a tenacious battle with pancreatic insufficiency.

Matt was born March 22, 1974 in Columbia, SC. After 15 months, he and his twin sister were adopted by Hal and Dot Olson. He moved with his family to Aurora when he was 2 years old. He was active in youth soccer and basketball as a child before finding his passion as a long distance runner. Among his accomplishments was winning the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon for his age division at age 14. He graduated from Gateway High School in Aurora, CO in 1992 where he competed in cross country and track. He then went on to attend the University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, CO and the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO where he majored in journalism. He was subsequently employed as a reporter with the Greeley Tribune, Gillette News-Record (Wyoming), Aurora Sentinel, and Denver Post.

Matt was an avid reader, talented writer, loving son, faithful husband, loving father, adventurous brother, and loyal friend. He loved sports-especially the Denver Broncos, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Cubs, and shared a deep affection with his father and brother for Florida State football. He especially enjoyed traveling with his Dad and brother to cheer FSU to victories over Notre Dame, University of Colorado, and Oklahoma State University.

He also co-authored a book with a friend entitled Guilty Until Proven Innocent that detailed the plights of teachers who were wrongly accused of criminal activities. He was featured by Tattered Cover as a local author at one of their book signing events. The book was subsequently adopted by several colleges as a textbook for education majors.

Matt was a dedicated Christian and loved any opportunity to serve his church as an acolyte, reader, and usher. He enjoyed debate on any subject whether it was over sports, politics or his Lutheran faith.

He loved food of any kind and lots of coffee. He looked forward to holidays and special occasions with his family and friends. He and his daughter had a special bond together with their fondness for sushi. Matt also enjoyed the time with his wife and daughter attending or watching movies-especially the Star Wars and Marvel superhero collections, traveling to Disneyland, and spending time in the mountains. He was a proud father who pushed himself to coach his daughter's soccer team during his final year of life.

Matt is survived by his wife, Kelly, daughter Grace, his parents, Hal and Dot Olson of Aurora, Colorado; sister Meredith (Michael) Hopaczylo of Mesa, AZ; and brother, Josh (Leslie) Olson of Minneapolis, MN. He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and 3 nephews-Jaryn, Beck and Lane. He will also be missed by his faithful pet and companion, "K.C.".

The family would like to thank the caring nursing staff at Aspen Care Center, his hospice nurse, Vicki, and the Suncrest Hospice team for all their support to Matt and his family during his final months.

Services will be held at All Saints Lutheran Church, 15625 E. Iliff Avenue, Aurora CO 80013 on April 29, 2017 at 5pm. A reception with light supper will follow the services.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Matt's name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for bipolar awareness and treatment, College Invest Fund on behalf of Grace Olson (Ugift Code S8N-435), or All Saints Lutheran Church (Men's Ministry).