Dale W. Olson

July 27, 1941 - May 7, 2019

Dr. Dale W. Olson, 77, of Cedar Falls passed away Tuesday, May 7th, 2019, at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital, Waterloo. He leaves behind his wife, Ann Balm-Olson; his sister, Carmen Jass of Jackson, MN; his sons Jeff Olson (wife Lynn) of Aspen, CO; Dustin, Derek and Daniel Balm, of Cedar Falls; daughters Sara Taylor (husband Chris) of Poughkeepsie, NY and Joan Balm (husband Corey) of Cedar Falls; grandchildren, Kayla Balm, Trevor Balm (wife Alex), Kiley Rasmussen, Keenan Rasmussen, Aiden Taylor, Chase Taylor and Riley Olson; great-grandson Jonathan, his mother-in-law Catherine Bushby, and numerous extended family. Dale was born to Fern and David Olson and raised on a farm in rural Minnesota. He earned his doctorate in physics from University of Rochester in 1970. He served as a professor of physics at University of Northern Iowa from 1968 until he retired in 2017. His research focused on holography and optics. During his tenure, Dr. Olson enjoyed his research collaborations with students and colleagues, and most recently expressed interest in robotics, and photovoltaics. He was a life-long learner and continuously encouraged others to find joy in learning about science. Dale was a vocal advocate for the importance of clean energy. In his personal life, he was proud of his beautiful, red Tesla (which he sometimes secretly drove in Sport mode when his wife wasn’t watching), loved and meticulously maintained his solar panels, participated in the Electric Vehicle Drive Days, actively participated in the Sierra Club, and advocated for gov’t changes that would reduce the human impact on climate change. Dale was passionate about the importance of healthy eating and exercise. As a lifelong triathlete Dale strived to better himself, and his split times. He trained year round and competed ferociously. At 77 Dale was the terror of the senior triathlon circuit. Family Directed Memorial Services will be held Saturday, May 11th at 11:00 at the Cedar Valley Unitarian Universalists Society, located at 3912 Cedar Heights Drive, Cedar Falls.