Roger L Olsen

Roger L. Olsen died in the place he loved, doing something that had defined so much of his life. He was found on his farm with a shovel in his hand, a well-used shovel worn down on both sides - surrounded by the cucumbers, zucchini, flowers, and growing things he had tended with such care.

It was a fitting ending for a man who spent his life planting, building, teaching, serving, and making things grow.

Roger was born April 28, 1938, to Bertha Larsen and Harold Olsen, at the end of the Great Depression. He entered the world weighing an impressive 12 pounds and grew up alongside his siblings, Mildred, Richard, and Gladys Olsen, all of whom preceded him in death.

Roger learned hard work and resourcefulness early, growing up for a time in a home dug into the ground with a Redmond mud roof. He also developed a lifelong love of plants. In eighth grade, people in town would walk by just to admire his garden, and throughout his life, wherever Roger lived, things grew.

His faith was central to his life. Roger gained his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as a young man and remained devoted to that testimony throughout his life. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Denmark, leaving without knowing exactly how he would pay for it, but trusting that somehow things would work out. He came to love the Danish people and language deeply. Later, Roger served as a bishop, a calling that brought what he described as wonderful experiences, miracles, and heartaches. He also served faithfully as a temple worker for eleven years.

Roger's education was earned through determination and sacrifice. He attended Brigham Young University, at times working 16-hour days with a jackhammer to earn money for school. With only one semester remaining, Roger was forced to leave BYU when his money ran out. But quitting permanently was never in his nature. He returned to finish his degree. During his final year, while student teaching, money was so scarce that he bought a large bag of oatmeal and ate a bowl for breakfast and another for supper so he could afford to complete school without working additional hours.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University and later returned to earn a master's degree in Education Administration.

Education became one of the great callings of Roger's life. His career spanned an extraordinary 45 years. He spent 20 years teaching in public schools, including as a fifth-grade teacher at Alpine Elementary, where he transformed not only classrooms but the environment around the school. He later spent 10 years as a beloved principal and 13 years working at Brigham Young University.

His professional work extended beyond the classroom. He presented at educational conferences and published respected work in the field of education. Yet for all of his professional accomplishments, Roger's greatest legacy was not found in degrees, publications, titles, or positions. It was found in people.

And most of all, it was found in his family.

Roger met Floris May Robinson when he was 30 years old. When Floris agreed to go out with him, Roger later wrote:

“Amazingly enough, she accepted. I’ll never know why because she was the most beautiful, most talented, and kindest person I knew, and I was certainly not worthy of her.”

They were married January 31, 1969. Roger adored Floris. His love for her was constant, tender, and unmistakable. Through the decades they built a life together, she remained the great love of his life. He admired her, cherished her, and never stopped feeling fortunate that she had chosen him.

Together, Roger and Floris built their family home in Manila on three acres of land Roger purchased for $1,900. They finished the house little by little as money allowed, with Roger doing much of the work himself. Around it grew orchards, barns, gardens, children, grandchildren, and decades of memories—a home built with patience, hard work, and love.

Roger was warm, loving, intelligent, hardworking, and faithful. He could teach a lesson, quote a poem, plant a garden, build a house, perform in a play, lead a school, serve a congregation, and make his children feel deeply loved.

To his children, however, all of those accomplishments are secondary to the simplest and most important truth:

He was the best dad in the world.

Roger is survived by his beloved wife, Floris May Robinson Olsen, and their children: John (Karen), Floris (Tyler), Jette (Mark), Mindy, Emily (Quinn), and Celeste (Miles). He is also survived by 26 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, each part of the enormous family legacy he and Floris created together.

He left this life with dirt beneath his feet, a shovel in his hand, and the fruits of his labor growing all around him.

For those who loved him, it is difficult to imagine a more fitting way for Roger Olsen to go home.

Graveside services will be held Friday, August 28, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery (west side, 500 N Main Street, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062). 

To Watch Graveside Services Live, Click Here. The Live Zoom Link will Activate at 1:45 p.m. MST prior to services.