Dennis Marino Olason
June 10, 1936 – August 11, 2025
Dennis Marino Olason of Blaine, WA, a teacher, scientist, gardener, carpenter, and active community member, passed away peacefully from natural causes August 11, 2025 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, WA, at the age of 89.
Dennis was born to Skapti and Elin (Ella) Olason on the family farm in Hensel, Pembina County, ND, one of nine siblings. At some point during his childhood Dennis acquired the nickname “Kip” and was fondly referred to in this way by the Olason clan all of his life. Dennis and the other younger kids attended the one-room Eastman School within a mile of home.
In 1948, Skapti moved with Ella, Dennis, siblings Harold and Sally, and Ella’s mother, Gudridur Magnusson, to a 40-acre dairy farm on the Sweet Road in Blaine, a town with a strong Icelandic community. Dennis, Harold, and Sally attended school in Blaine and did chores on the farm. Dennis played sports at Blaine High School and earned a letterman’s jacket.
After high school graduation, Dennis attended Western Washington University in Bellingham where he met Ann Frazier whom he married in 1960. He and Ann eventually settled in Renton, WA, where Dennis had a 30-year-long career of teaching middle and high school science.
After retirement, Dennis and Ann decided to pursue their dream of building a custom home on property inherited from Skapti a mile east of the old family dairy farm on Sweet Road outside Blaine. It was in the midst of this exciting but challenging time that Dennis suffered a major heart attack. An emergency trip to Seattle for heart surgery saved his life and allowed him to get back to Blaine.
Dennis and Ann enjoyed ten wonderful years in their country home, where they spent many days tending to their beautiful landscape and vegetable gardens. In 2002, Dennis and Ann regretfully gave up their big country place and moved into a house with a more manageable yard, just off of Peace Portal Drive in Blaine. Gardening continued on a smaller scale and the new neighbors became good friends. With his long-time interest in community planning and local government, Dennis joined the Blaine Planning Commission and eventually served on the City Council. He and Ann were active in the Blaine Senior Center, where they enjoyed having coffee with friends. Dennis was an advocate for good local health care, particularly for the senior population, and was instrumental in recent years in bringing the Family Care Network clinic to Blaine.
Growing up on a farm shaped Dennis’s strong work ethic, his lifelong affection for plants and animals, his generosity, and his resourcefulness. He was proud of his extended family and his Icelandic heritage. He loved to visit his roots at the family farm in North Dakota, still run by his nephew Doug, and made several trips there over the years.
Dennis lived with congestive heart failure for over 30 years, managing life with humor, determination, and pragmatism. He was a serious man of well-chosen words and a resource for good advice, but also loved to gently tease everyone he met with a twinkle in his eye.
Dennis was preceded in death by his parents Skapti and Elin Olason, and his siblings John, Matt, Mary, Mike, Steve, Polly, and Harold. He leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Ann, his daughters Sara (Tom) Noland and Paula (Jim) O’Halloran, and his sister Sally (Tom) Cooper, as well as many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, friends and colleagues.
A celebration of life will be held in Dennis’s honor at the Blaine Senior Center on Sunday, November 2, 2025 from 1–4 p.m. (763 G Street, Blaine, WA 98230). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Blaine Food Bank, Blaine Scholarship Foundation, Blaine Library, or The Foundation for WWU & Alumni (Western Washington University). A guest book and additional memories of Dennis are available at: www.funerals.coop/obituaries/dennis-olason.
