Curtis Gifford Olson, 80

Curtis Gifford Olson, 80, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, passed away peacefully Oct. 5, 2016, surrounded by his family, after a long and determined battle to stay alive through the ravages of cancer treatment and heart disease. He will be missed by those who love him and especially his wife and caregiver of 23 years, Chenyi.

He was born to Will and Virginia Olson in Missoula, Mont., on May 22, 1936. During his childhood, he lived in Bremerton, Wash., and Fresno, Calif., where he graduated from high school in 1954. Some of his fondest childhood memories were time spent with his maternal grandparents, Ed and Anna Schall, on their ranch in Arlee, Mont., and his paternal grandparents, Carl and Edith Ahlgreen, at their place in the country near Crow Creek in Ronan, Mont. He loved fishing as a boy and always told stories of his adventures on Crow Creek and the Jocko River.

Curtis joined the Navy as a young man and served proudly for 23 years, working as an electrical technician with Lockheed on naval aircraft like the P3 Orion. His naval career took him to Florida, Hawaii, Japan, Alaska and California. He met and married the mother of his four children in Pensacola, Fla. All four of his children were born at different locations during his military service. He retired from the Navy in 1978 as a Chief Petty Officer.

Drawn to Montana by his warm childhood memories, he moved his family to Thompson Falls, Mont., in 1977 where he purchased a home and 10 acres on Prospect Creek and finished his naval career while his children started new schools. He pioneered bringing satellite TV to his community and was a longtime Thompson Falls resident. When his first marriage ended in 1979, he completed raising his two youngest children.

In 1992, he was blessed to meet and marry Yang Chenyi, a lovely woman born in Shanghai, China. Curtis and Chenyi enjoyed the early years of their marriage traveling America and visiting her family in China. The name his Chinese family gave him was “Tana” for his home state of Montana. Chenyi, always faithful and devoted, cared for him through treatment for throat cancer in 1997, many hospitalizations, treatments, surgeries and recoveries. They relocated to Coeur d’Alene in 2000. Together, they were determined to live the best life they could.

He was preceded in death by his first child, Catherine Virginia, in 1963 and both of his parents. He is survived by his wife, Chenyi and his three children, Amy (Russ) Hansen, Daniel (Stacie) Olson and Carol (Ted) Madden; 13 grandchildren; four great grandchildren (and one on the way); and his three siblings, Joy (Bob) Bell, Walter “Chris” (Susie) Olson and William “Bill” (Judy) Olson; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, inlaws and outlaws.

There will be a small private service held in celebration of the life of Curtis Olson. Yates Funeral Home has been entrusted with the care of final arrangements.