John Olson

John Olson, 91, of Aurora, passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 in Aurora. 
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, February 21 at Evangelical Free Church in Aurora, 1202 A Street, Aurora. Interment will be in the Monroe Evangelical Free Cemetery following the service at 1 p.m. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the Evangelical Free Church.   Memorials may be made in care of the family to be determined at a later date. Condolences may be sent to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.
On an early fall day in September of 1934, John Wesley Olson entered the farm home of Joe and Alice Olson and his three older brothers, Vern, Wayne and Don. His childhood on the farm filled his days with chores, church activities and working alongside his father and older brothers running the farm. As the youngest boy, he was also told “help your mother”.   Reflecting on this later in life, he was grateful for the chance to be around her, for she was gentle, kind and had a tender heart like him. 
After graduating from Aurora High School in 1951, at 16 years of age, John went to Trinity College in Chicago, where he would not only earn an associate’s degree, but would also meet his future wife of 62 years, Alayne (Rader) Olson. He then entered the Navy and was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Memphis, TN for two years before returning to Aurora and the farm. His father needed his help and he loved the farm. After he returned, he soon made the long drive to Michigan to propose to Alayne. Her “yes” was what he’d hoped for! 
John and Alayne were married in the summer of 1961 and would live their adult lives in Aurora. Their three children, Rhonda, Doug and Mark, joined their family and life was filled with raising their children and enjoying family and friends in their community and church. 
John took over the farm from his father and built his farming operation. Then, in 1974, he bought and managed a farm implement business in Aurora. After that John faithfully provided for his family by working at various jobs before retirement.   
John and Alayne were part of the group that helped start the Aurora Evangelical Free Church where they faithfully invested for the rest of their lives. John taught Sunday School there for years and served in the leadership of the church. He also served in the Evangelical Free Church Midwest District and was on the Board of Directors at Trinity International University in Chicago, IL. 
John always loved music and began singing when his mother announced that he and his three brothers were going to be a quartet at church. Throughout his life, his smooth baritone voice would lead him to sing at weddings, funerals, in church and even in the traveling Navy choir, where his audition was to sing the tenor part of a song acappella and end on the correct note. 
John did not know a stranger and had a special way of loving others so that they knew they were special and belonged. He cared about people and listened well, encouraging them along the way - like “Barnabus” from the New Testament church.   He knew full well that what defined his love of others was the love the Lord had for him and his relationship with God was the most important one in his life. He loved learning about God by reading and studying the Bible. His relationship with God was the anchor that held him through all the valleys and mountain peaks of life. 
He and Alayne “adopted” many others into their hearts, often opening the doors of their home. How many delicious meals and overnight guests would grace that space is hard to quantify. It was a safe place to laugh over puns, hear crazy stories and cry on a shoulder when sad. 
Traveling in the station wagon took the family all over the continental United States. Whether it was tramping in the snow in Michigan at Christmas or overnighting along the bubbling mountain streams near Estes Park, being together was what mattered most.   Once his children got married, the reasons for travel increased as ten grandchildren joined the family. John and Alayne traveled from California to Florida and even over to Europe to be with and see their family. Their 60th anniversary in St. Augustine is a treasured memory. When the Lord unexpectedly called Alayne home, John was broken-hearted. The Lord gave him almost two years after her passing to spend time with his family and friends, who would walk beside him. He passed peacefully in his home surrounded by those he loved this past week.
John is survived by daughter Rhonda (Keith) Johnson from Orlando, Florida and two sons, Doug (Janna) from Ord, and Mark (Sissy) from Denver, Colorado as well as his grandchildren Drew (Sarah), Lauren, Emily, Nathan, Ben, Joe, Colette, Anna, Caleb, and Samuel and his two great-grandchildren, Victoria and Walter. John has one surviving older brother Wayne (Betty) and ten nephews and nieces.