Obituary of David Arthur Olson

David Arthur Olson Born: September 8, 1936 Home going: August 3, 2016 David Arthur Olson was born in Leominster, Massachusetts to John Arthur and Helen Louise Olson of Auburn, MA. Dave spent his early years in Auburn, MA, graduating from Athol High School in June of 1954. He cultivated his lifetime love of sports at an early age, while playing the position of shortstop on his varsity baseball team for all four years. He also played basketball. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1958 and his Master of Science in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965. After graduation, he served in the US Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain. During the Cold War years, Dave was the senior weather officer for the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, a fighter wing with an important tactical nuclear mission. While at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, Dave met Joan Waurega Bagby. They were married on August 13, 1960 and were together until her passing in May of 2014. Dave was later deployed to Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland. In addition to his weather officer duties, Dave became a weatherman on the local television station. As an expert in meteorology, Dave spent most of his professional career working for the National Weather Service, where he advanced to lead operations and became Chief of US Weather Forecast Branch at what is now known as the National Weather Prediction Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. During those years, Dave was a frequent presenter of technical papers in the Bulletin of American Meteorological Society, and technical conferences, including the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, Dave’s television experience in Newfoundland later served him well, as he would be regularly seen during hurricane and tornado season representing the National Weather Service on television shows such as Good Morning America, the Today Show, and CBS Good Morning. Dave retired from the National Weather Service in December 1996. Well after his retirement from the National Weather Service in December of 1996, Dave could be counted on by family and friends to provide a quick local forecast as well. This didn’t involve logging onto weather.com, but rather Dave accessed directly the satellite imagery in order to make his own forecast. Dave was a lifelong avid golfer and baseball fanatic. He played often at Twin Lakes golf course in Clifton, Virginia. After retiring, Dave obtained a part time job at Twin Lakes, initially for the benefit of complimentary golf. Ironically, the friendships he developed over his almost twenty years at Twin Lakes, became as important to him as the golf. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals baseball teams, watching the games almost daily, often commenting on both the game details and the outcome. He also could be seen at his grandsons’ baseball games, where he was a frequent and vocal fan. He was a loving father to his two children, Christina (and husband Chris) Mack and David (and wife Cheryl) Olson, and a devoted grandfather to five grandchildren: Katie, Jason and Matthew Mack and Claire and Colin Olson. He is also survived by his sister Judith Maddigan and her family. Dave took great pride in the academic and athletic accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. He was loved by his family and friends and will be deeply missed.