William M. Olson

1947-2026

William Morley “Wild Bill” Olson, 78, of Rochester, formerly of Jamestown, died from complications of chronic pulmonary disease on Friday, Jan. 2 2026, at Rochester General Hospital surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Sharon Olson and the father of Robert B. W. Olson.

Bill was born Sept. 6, 1947, in Jamestown, the son of Sherwood W. “Scrubby” Olson and Mary Olson (Anderson). He came into the world six weeks early, weighing just over four pounds, and nearly died at three months old of pneumonia in the first of too many encounters with that disease. Bill grew up on Jamestown’s Swede Hill, active in sports with his many friends the “Swede Hill Misfits”. His real love, though, was art–portraiture and cartooning–and he gave up study halls to make room for art classes. In junior high and high school, Bill played football, enjoyed playing basketball, and excelled at golf. He was proud of his low handicap and often related the story of the hole-in-one he scored at age 13. Bill graduated from Jamestown High School in 1966, continuing his education at Jamestown Community College and the State University of New York at Albany.

At his father’s insistence, Bill’s college major was business administration. He received his Bachelor of Science degree cum laude in May 1970. His plans to study for his CPA were permanently altered by the Vietnam era military draft. He served in the army from 1970-1972, including several months with NATO in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He and Sharon married in 1976 and, in 1978, they moved to the house on Stadium Hill where they raised their only son, Rob. Bill suffered from both physical and emotional ill health in his middle and late years, which caused him to retire early from his position as comptroller at the Arthur R. Gren Company. In 2012, he suffered a series of small strokes and, after a second bout in 2017, he and Sharon moved to Rochester to be near Rob. In later years, Bill’s joys were his collection of all things related to medieval vikings, his brief foray into viking reenactment, and watching Rob achieve career success and happiness, in contrast to Bill’s own experience.

Bill is survived by his wife of nearly fifty years, Sharon; his son, Robert, and his daughter-in-law, Sarah Johnson; his nephews, Eric Johnson and family of Indiana and Christopher Johnson and family of Ohio, and his nieces, Stephanie Johnson and family of Ohio and Kelly Peoples and family of Mississippi. Besides his parents, Bill was preceded in death by stepfather, Erik Anderson; sisters, Rebecca Johnson and Barbara Hendricks; and his nephew, Mark Engdahl.

A memorial service in Jamestown for relatives and close friends is planned in June. Memorials may be made to the Chautauqua County Humane Society, Lollypop Farm Humane Society of Rochester, or the Chautauqua County Sports Hall of Fame. Members of the Vikings’ Ingjald Lodge, please raise a glass in Bill’s memory at the Lake Park.