John was born Sept. 10, 1975 in Harlan, Iowa to Wayne and Donna (Greve) Olson. He was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Harlan. He loved being an Iowa farm kid and grew up on farms near Kirkman, the Prairie Rose Lake Area, and Kimballton. His early years were spent climbing and jumping out of trees, exploring the creek, shooting BB guns with his cousin Mike, and playing with the farm cats and Kate “the best dog ever”.
He graduated from Harlan High School in 1994 and was a member of the 1993 State Championship football team. In high school he raised enough heck to have fun and had the charming smile to get away with most of it. He would regularly show-up at whichever house had the best food for the evening and life long friendships were made.
John continued playing football at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, graduating in 1999 with a degree in Physical Education and Psychology. While at Dana he was a pre-season All-American before suffering a catastrophic knee injury. He continued to form close friendships while at college and those friends have plenty of stories to tell that will live on.
While at Dana, John met and married Melanie (Mowinkel). Their adventure together would span almost three decades and include raising three amazing children. Mia, Casey, and Logan are truly his greatest pride and joy and he would light-up bragging about them. Family road trips were something the couple made a priority, with one of the most epic being when he drove the family on a meandering route from Nebraska to coastal Maine, including stops at all five Great Lakes and multiple border crossings into Canada.
In January of 2004, John started his career with the Omaha Fire Department. He served many different roles within the department including Engine 21, Special Operations, Training, and Fire Inspections, and was promoted to Captain in 2012. He was awarded the Lifesaving Medal in 2012 as acting Captain for Engine 21 which rescued individuals trapped in the basement of a working house fire. His last station duty was as Captain of Engine 23, where he had the honor to lead the A-shift — he loved his crew dearly. He was also a member of US&R Nebraska Task Force One, where he served on deployments during Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria. In addition to leading training, he served as a mentor and held numerous certifications and advanced training in Hazardous Materials, Swift Water Rescue, and High Angle Rescue, to name a few.
At his core, John was fiercely loyal and a born helper. His favorite places to be were surrounded by the camaraderie of colleagues at the station or surrounded by his wife and kids for a family movie night. One of his proudest legacies is that he instilled in his children a deep sense of self-sufficiency, utmost compassion towards others and animals, and the importance of duty beyond one’s self.
John is survived by wife Melanie, children Mia (Cameron) Staats, Casey Olson, and Logan Olson; Parents: Wayne and Donna Olson; In-laws: Bill and Mary Jo Mowinkel; Siblings: Kristin (BJ) Koch, Ben (Shana) Olson, Elizabeth (Sean) Croghan; Brother-in-law: Brandon (Shelly) Mowinkel; Sister-in-law: Amanda (Matthew) Jochum; Nieces and Nephews: Aubrey and Callan Koch; Halle, Peyton, Cade, and Jase Olson; Phoebe and Joseph Croghan; Austin, Lydia, and Drake Jochum; Zephyr and Addisyn Mowinkel, Calyn (Ethan) Zegers and great nephew baby Z.
He is preceded in death by grandparents Edwin and Wilma Olson, Herman and Henrietta Greve, and Aunt Janet Christiansen.
In lieu of flowers consider a donation to the All People’s Pantry, Millard West Wrestling Booster Club, or the Logan Olson Education Fund at the Omaha Firefighters Credit Union.
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