In Memoriam: James “Luke” Olson, MD ( March 5, 1946 - July 9, 2024)
James “Luke” Olson, M.D., born in Manilla, Iowa, in March, 1946, died peacefully in July, 2024 in Kenmore, Washington, with his wife, Heather, by his side.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Seattle, Washington on September 28, 2024, with what we hope will be humorous and moving stories. Livestreaming will be available. Zoom link below.
James attended the University of Iowa College of Medicine. In 1971, seeking a medical residency, he discovered Seattle and happily settled there. Including his residency, he enjoyed working as a Family Practice and Geriatrics physician with Group Health Cooperative/Permanente for over 40 years. He deeply valued his GH colleagues and patients. He served patients across the lifespan, genuinely enjoyed hearing the life stories of elders and families in his care, and practiced relationship-based medicine.
James was board-certified in Family Medicine, and became a life member and fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He felt strongly about the importance of professional organizations in Family Practice. Among other roles, he served as President of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians in 1998-99. For many years, he taught medical students through the University of Washington Department of Family Medicine.
James had many interests. Among them, he valued Mexico and its culture. He and his wife Heather, along with several colleagues, created and ran the Family Medicine Exchange Program (FAMEX) for 20+ years. This was a small non-profit educational exchange training program of Family Practice doctors and residents between the state of Washington in the USA and the state of Veracruz in Mexico.
A short obituary can be found in the Seattle Times here. A longer version on James’ Caring Bridge website.
ZOOM LINK:
A Zoom link will be active starting at 4:30PM PDT on 9/28/24. A photo montage will be shown starting at 4:30PM PDT. The Celebration program starts at 5PM PDT. All are welcome to join on Zoom. You can download Zoom, then paste in the meeting code (84159238995), and then enter the passcode (6556). Or you can paste the entire link into a browser and follow the instructions. The link is:
https://us02web.zoom.us:///j/84159238995 (passcode: 6556)
