Kerry Wayne Olsen
August 17th, 2021
Kerry Wayne Olsen, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at the age of 54 years while on vacation with his son, traveling through the mountains of Alberta and BC. He spent his last week in his true element, immersing himself in the beauty of those mountains and having incredible experiences along the way. Kerry had a deep-seeded love of the Rocky Mountains and always found himself at home in the outdoors. He was a huge outdoorsman, enjoying fishing, hunting, camping, boating and even tried his hand at trapping. Kerry was a powerful advocate of pursuing your passions to the fullest and always encouraged friends and family to do the same. He was one of the founding members of the Airdrie Hunting and Fishing Association, and found joy in sharing his experiences and passions with others.
Another of Kerry’s biggest passions was photography. He found great pleasure in capturing unique shots in nature as well as the emotional expressions of his daughter and her hockey teammates on the ice. He had a way of finding the unforgettable and rare moments to give to others that will stand as timeless gifts.
Although born in Eckville, AB, Kerry spent much of his early years living abroad in interesting places. He loved the fact that he was able to see much of the world and had wonderful stories about those places from Singapore to Scotland. Kerry was a great storyteller, he always was able to put a positive and humorous twist on every adventure he had.
Kerry completed his university education at Texas A&M University in the US and spent the beginning of his career working in Texas. Motivated by a strong connection to his family history and his Canadian origins, Kerry and his wife moved to Alberta to start their family in 1998. Kerry vastly enjoyed time he was able to spend with relatives on the family farm.
Throughout his life, Kerry always had a way of finding humor and was very eager to share it. Whether a turn of a phrase, a quirky look or the inflection in his voice you knew there was a laugh to be had. Stories were his forte as he was one of the great storytellers. He always kept it lively and entertaining. But along with the laughter came the biggest heart, to say he was a nice guy was an understatement. Kindhearted, generous, and gentle come to mind. After two minutes with Kerry, you felt like you were lifelong friends.
Kerry is lovingly remembered by his wife, Carolynn of 30 years, his children Zachary and Meghan, his father Barry, his brother Robert and wife Sarah and their two children Kayley and Maddie, his favorite Auntie Barb, and several other aunts, uncles, and cousins. Kerry was predeceased by his mother, Dixie Kupsa.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Hyatt Place Calgary, 10 Aero Cres. NE Calgary, Alberta on Thursday, September 23rd at 6:00 pm. Please be advised the REP guidelines will be followed, attendees must provide proof of vaccination (double or single shot two weeks prior) or a negatives PCR test within the last 72 hours. The plan is to live-stream this service since Kerry had so many friends, colleagues, and family all over Canada and the US.
"The service is being streamed live by Calgary Audio Visual and Rentals via YouTube. Please proceed to their channel here on September 23, 2021 at 6:00pm MST., to watch live. The live video will appear at the top of the channel feed when the time is right, you can tune in early but you probably won't see a live video until it's close to the correct time.
Due to the unexpected passing of Kerry, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to an Education Fund that was set up to assist with educational expenses for Zachary and Meghan. Kerry was a big proponent that his children continue their education along with their passions.
Donations can be sent to the Kerry Olsen Memorial Education Fund electronically using the email KOLSENmemorialfund@shaw.ca or mailed to Kerry Olsen Memorial Education Fund, 2825 Coopers Manor SW, Airdrie, AB T4B 3J8
Messages:
Carolynn I just heard the news. I am so sorry. My heart hurts for you, Zach, and Meghan. Sending love from our family to yours. I hope this message reaches you. Ravi, Renee, Zen, and Cooper
I just heard this news, and I am shocked and horrified. My deepest condolences to all of Kerry's friends and family. This one hits pretty close to home.
Carolynn, I just heard the news of Kerry's passing. My deepest and most heart felt condolences! Kerry was a beautiful man with a huge heart. My memories of him are all so very positive. The world has definitely lost a very good person. My prayers go out to you and the kids.
Such a gentle soul. Rest in peace.
Sad to hear the news of Kerry's passing. Kerry was my step brother and we had alot of the same life over seas. We would see Kerry and Robbie every couple of years whether it was spain or scotland or here at family farm. The visits where always welcome and we would have many adventures on the farm. Or when we where older and I'd take Kerry on the town! He seamlessly got along with my friends and his big laugh was infectious. He introduced me to AC/DC and I introduced him to KISS. LOL. We where raised to fish and camp ,enjoy the beauty that is around us! I will think of Kerry on my next fishing trip out west and say alittle prayer for him and his family. Peace brother.
Carolynn, Zach and Meghan, I want to express my deepest condolences to you for the loss of Kerry. He was one of my closest friends both during and after our Cisco days and he will be missed by many. Over the years, I had the opportunity to spend many enjoyable hours with Kerry on business trips, sales meetings and phone calls. Work can sometimes get complicated and we would often find ourselves talking and coaching each other through difficult decisions and situations. I always admired Kerry for his natural ability to boil down a complex situation to a very succinct and often witty summary. Kerry was so proud of his family and spoke about all of you very often. I know we may have only met briefly over the years, but I feel that I know all three of you quite well including each of your unique personality traits. And on the flip side, Kerry was also very mindful and sincere when asking about my family and all our adventures. Kerry was a great friend and colleague who carried a high standard of integrity and morals. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Dear Carolynn and family, Our sincere condolences are extended to you and your entire family for the loss of such a wonderful companion in life a true gentleman with with warmest of souls and empathy for others around him. We remember fondly you were both there in Dallas to celebrate with us the week Jessy Lou came into the world and later camping with Kerry on a Daisytek work trip on the Olympic Peninsula outside Seattle. A great man dependable in times of need his memory will live on as a true inspiration to many in and outside of his career. Kindest regards to you all at this sad moment in life and best wishes all our love Mark Maria and Jessy Lou,
Carolynn , Zachary and Meghan , we were so shocked and sorry to hear of Kerry’s passing. His kindness and smile could always be counted on when we would meet your family at the rink and we were always grateful when he would share game photos of our Meg with us. There are no words to ease your pain or fill the void , but please know we are thinking of you all and send you comfort as you navigate this unexpected journey.
Foremost, on behalf of my family, to Carolynn, Zachary and Meghan our sincerest thoughts and prayers are with you on your deep loss. While coping I am sure has been difficult, both in thinking about Kerry and reading through some of those life highlights, I truly resonate on the many beautiful sentiments that sum up Kerry as a truly wonderful person. My experiences with Kerry surrounded having the great pleasure working together at Cisco, including 3 years where I truly enjoyed having Kerry as part of our sales team. While there are many memories of working with Kerry, what stands out most was his positivity. When Kerry would ask how you were doing, you knew he meant it, versus just saying the words. Many conversations we had led to interesting ideas he would introduce to help his clients, of which is care was evident. Equally, one of Kerry’s parallel strengths was his openness to hear others point of view. He would often seek counsel of many colleagues and partners to help him deliver the best collaborative experience - he was very curious. As a result, he was always learning in how he and the company could best serve his customers. He took great pride in service and was one of the many things I respected about him. Where Kerry really lit up though was about family. We would have weekly 1:1 meetings and while work of course was covered, we would share our weekend or holiday activities and his love and passion for family by far stood out. You could tell this was his happy place and he would beam about, for example, Zachary’s attending university and Meghan’s prowess as a hockey goaltender - his enthusiasm and pride in both of you was evident. Fast following was his passion for the outdoors and I would marvel at some of his stories whether related to hunting or fishing. I distinctly recall him chuckling about buying gear of some sort, it being maybe too much money and perhaps Carolynn questioning why that was perhaps required. He loved his toys! Finally, while I hadn’t talked to Kerry for a few months, he would always check in here and there and simply ask how you were doing - just as he always did - and again, you knew he meant it. He was a dear fellow and I will miss his kind heart and positivity.
Dear Carolynn, Zach and Meghan, Our deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved husband and father. Kerry was such an incredible person and someone who will be so missed by so many. We will always remember our time as neighbours and the kindness Kerry showed us, the laughs we had and the stories we shared. We can’t imagine your pain, but are praying for comfort and peace for you in knowing how loved you all are and what a legacy Kerry has left. His memory will live in our hearts. Sending all our love to you.
Deepest condolences to you and the kids Carolynn. Such sad, heartbreaking news on Kerry. He was also so sweet and kind to everyone around him. Hugs to you, Meg and Zachary.
My condolences to the family, Kerry sounds like an amazing person who lived a very full and meaningful life. While I never had the opportunity to meet him, I have heard so many great stories of him through the sales team. Joyce from Fortinet's HR team
Please accept my condolences.
Rest In Peace Kerry. Will always cherish our times together. Love you Brother. David
I was so sad to hear about Kerry, and more sad to learn that he was so close to me and I didn’t even know it! I played football with Kerry in Singapore on the Rams. We won the conference and both played on the all star team. I have Fond memories of him dressed in a girls cheerleading out fit ( once per year the foot ball players swapped rolls with the cheerleaders) man that was funny. He was a great teammate. I wish I could have known he settled in airdrie. I am an optometrist and own the cross iron mills optometry office in Costco. Minutes away from Airdrie. My sincerest condolences. If there is anything I can do for you please let me know. I will contribute to your kids education. ( I was known as Darren Judson in those days.) I have football photos if you would like to see them. Thinking of you.