Roger F Olson

Roger (“Rogie”) Frank Olson, intrepid sports reporter, prolific storyteller/writer, master of metaphors, consummate editor and conscientious technophobe, slid into “(Heaven’s) home plate” on March 8, 2026. Roger leaves behind many cherished memories with his beloved children, grandchildren, family, and friends. And a treasure trove of archived stories he authored about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Roger was born at St. John’s Hospital in Fargo on July 1, 1947, the second of nine children of Vernon and Rose Olson. Even as an infant, Roger had an impish grin and an aversion to wearing socks; two signature traits that carried over into adulthood and at one point, earned him the nickname, “Socks.” And from the day he watched his first baseball game, he had a passion for sports. His love for baseball later earned him yet another nickname, “Heater.” He attended grade school at St. Anthony’s and graduated from Shanley High School in 1965, after a short stint at Assumption Abbey in Richardton, ND.

Roger married Jeanne Clare Johnson in 1967. They were blessed with two children: son Dane and daughter Lindsay. They were the pride and joy of his life. (Roger and Jeanne were later divorced.)

Roger attended Moorhead State University before graduation from North Dakota State University in 1971. He cut his teeth in journalism in the sports department of The Forum (Fargo, ND). He later became a sports reporter, writer, and columnist for The Des Moines (IA) Register. The tools of his trade included a Smith-Corona typewriter, Pentax Reflex Camera and rolls of 35mm film (400 ISO). And boy, could he crank out the copy. Really good copy.
So-much-so, it sparked the attention of New York Yankees management. In 1972, Roger was selected as a scout for the team’s Midwest Region. One of the perks of that distinction included a seat behind home plate (“scout’s view”) at the annual College World Series in Omaha, NE. Roger rarely missed a game.

In 1973, Roger joined the then Northwestern Bell Telephone Company (U S West/Century Link) in Omaha, where he worked as writer, photographer and then chief editor of the “NWB News,” an award-winning corporate newspaper that was distributed to some 65,000 employees and retirees in five states. Later, he worked as a speech writer and marketing communications manager. There, he forged several lifelong friendships.

In 1995, he accepted a company transfer to Grand Island, NE, before retiring to Ft. Collins, CO. At that point, he and former coworker and friend (Tony D.) began traveling the country, selling backpacks and other outdoor gear at sporting and hunting/fishing events in cities throughout the Midwest and Southwest. With Roger’s love for the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, travel and people, it was a perfect fit. He was a walking “Google Maps” and could point you to the best restaurants and even the Catholic parishes that celebrated Mass in Latin.

He could converse easily about almost anything and with anyone, a gift shaped by his years as a beat reporter and a Mensa-type mind that mastered the New York Times Crossword Puzzle as part of his daily routine. He most valued conversations with and about common people; men and women who had stories just like his. Stories of life’s struggles, stories that often reflected the goodness and glory of Almighty God, and stories about life’s ironies. Like the grizzled and gruff construction foreman who went home and gingerly tended to his stunning rose garden, or the unlikely, shy and frail, small-town kid who made it to, “the big leagues.”

Through it all, Roger lived a simple, humble life. And that’s how he left this world. A modest apartment; a few pieces of furniture, photos of his beloved children and grandchildren. The kind of gentle and eccentric spirit that Arlo Guthrie, John Prine or Bob Dylan would sing about.
In 2022, his health slowly deteriorating, Roger returned to Fargo to be closer to his family. After a long struggle with several health issues, he spent his final days at HIA Heather’s House (Hospice) in Fargo.

In the months and days leading up to his passing, Roger continued to exchange messages with his former (retired) colleagues in an online (members-only), “chatroom” dubbed, “The Daily Llama.” Roger was the so-called, “Fargo Stringer.” This is among his final entries;

“Speaking of Orioles, when / was a kid, we had the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in the old Class A Northern League. Aberdeen had the Orioles farm (team) and, in maybe 59, they’d show up here with a rotation of Jim Palmer, McNally and Cuellar.”

Another message reads, “The Yankees had a right-hander in the mid ’60s. Ryne Duren. He was at 101 when nobody else was 90. And he was all over the place. Guys bailing on center-cut pitches. To add to his mystique, he wore glasses that were as thick as a Gorat’s (Omaha Steak House) filet.”

“Them (sic) was the days…”

Yessir…. “them was the days,” Rogie. And ya dun (sic) good. Real good. And we’re all gonna miss you.

Roger is survived by his two children, Dane Olson of Sacramento, CA and Lindsay Olson of Lebanon, MO, and granddaughters Zoe and Eliot. He is also survived by his eight siblings: Michael (Alice) Olson, Samara, Costa Rica and Sun City West, AZ; Bonita Craft, Rogers, AR; Angela Etter, Fargo; Marsha (Jeff) Stangler, Fargo; Anthony (Sherrill Ferazza) Olson, Eagan, MN; Teresa (Jim) Hough, Burnsville, MN; Shelly (Phil) Pankow, Rochester, MN; and Todd Olson, Fargo.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Vernon and Rose Olson.

Roger’s family is holding a memorial service at St. Anthony’s Church in Fargo on July 28, 2026. The rosary will be recited at 10:30 a.m. with Mass to be celebrated at 11 a.m., followed by a reception at the church.