Ralph Olsen

Dr. Ralph Austin Olsen passed away at the Ashley Regional Medical Center on April 22, 2014. Ralph was born on January 30, 1925 in Moroni, Utah to Ethel E. Oman and John L. Olsen. On August 26, 1949, he married his sweetheart for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple.

Ralph was a lifetime member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; WWII Veteran AUS 1943-1946; B.S. Brigham Young University 1949; M.S. Cornell University 1951; Ph.D. Cornell University 1953. Sigma Xi member; Soil Scientist U.S. Dept. Agriculture in Beltsville, MD 1953-1956; post-doctoral fellow Mineral Nutrition Pioneering Research Lab in Beltsville 1961-1962; Institute of Biological Chemistry - University of Copenhagen Denmark 1965-1966; faculty member Chemistry Department at Montana State University Bozeman 1956-1987. Member of the American Chemistry Society and the Soil Science Society of America.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Vanona F. Olsen; children: Ravona K. (Will) Roat, Beverly C. Clark; Karen M. (Tom) Howcroft, Loren D. (Jerrilyn) Olsen, Paulette I. (Frank) Helm, Miriam F. Stabler, Amy Ann (Greg) Clark; and 21 grandchildren and 25 great-grand children.

Ralph is preceded in death by his son Gregory Neil Olsen; parents: John and Ethel Olsen; brothers: Oman, Lloyd, and Elliott Olsen; sisters: Evelyn Orstrom and Ida Donaldson; and great-granddaughter Izzi Marie Howcroft.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 26, 2014, 11AM at the Ashley Second Ward LDS Chapel located at 2575 North 1500 West in Vernal, Utah. A viewing will be held Saturday morning 9:30-10:45AM at the chapel prior to the funeral service. Interment will be in the Vernal Memorial Park with military honors provided by the American Legion Post 11 and the Utah National Guard.

In lieu of flowers please send donation to: MSU Foundation, PO Box 172750, Bozeman, MT 59717-2750. Please attach a note designating the donation in memory of Dr. Ralph A. Olsen to the chemistry scholarship fund. For every $500 donated a scholarship will be awarded to a young budding chemistry student. If you have any questions about the scholarship please contact Alberta Rivera 1-800-457-1696.