George L Olsen passed away peacefully September 26, 2021. surrounded by his family. Our Dad lived a long and fruitful life.
Born in Oslo Norway on 3/23/1929 to Lava and Gustav Olsen, he was the youngest of 10 children. He spoke fondly of his childhood and loved telling stories of his life as a young boy growing up in Norway. He learned to play the guitar in his teens so he could play with his brothers and family in their band the Ekeberg Plektral Orkestra.
He started his career as a pastry chef when he was 15 years old just before the end of WWII. He served in the Norwegian armed forces and was stationed briefly in Poland and Germany after the end of the war. After his service he continued his baking apprenticeship and achieved the status of Master Baker of which he was very proud.
He married our mother Kari in 1951 and they had 6 children including 2 sets of twins. In 1968, they immigrated to the United States and settled in Salt Lake City, UT where our mother’s sister lived.
He continued his baking craft and in the early 70s they opened a family bakery and operated it until the late 80s when our mother passed away.
Throughout his life, our father used 2 special gifts to make people happy, he made the most delicious pastries, and he could play guitar. He especially loved playing guitar at the senior centers throughout the Salt Lake valley during his retirement.
Even after his retirement he would continue to bake for family and friends and former customers, and he absolutely loved it.
He also played guitar whenever anybody asked him and played in multiple bands after his retirement.
He is survived by his wife Lucy, 6 children, Geir (Margaret) South Jordan UT, Bjorn (Diane) Sandy UT, Terje (Elizabeth) Magna UT, Heidi Kahlke (Jack) Clearfield UT, Roger (Charisse) South Jordan UT, Roy (Jennifer) Siletz OR, 15 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.
Our father will be laid to rest on Friday, October 1, 2021, at Larkin Sunset Gardens in a private family ceremony. There will be a celebration of his life at 1:30pm at Spring House Village Clubhouse, 6091 West Sparrow View Drive (approx 11700 South) for family and close friends.
In lieu of flowers or donations, please do something nice for family member or a friend. One of his sayings we will always remember, “help someone without expectation of being compensated for you will receive blessings 10 times its worth in return”.
We are so sorry to hear of George’s passing. We knew him because our father was a resident of Sagewood since March and just passed away on September 21st. Your father was always very welcoming to our family whenever we visited. He told us several stories about living in Norway and being a pastry chef. He seemed like a very remarkable person. We would like to offer our sincerest condolences during this sad time.