Melrose Olson

Melrose "Mel" Charles Olson, 61 of Ashland, Ore., died at his parent's home in Mountain Home on Saturday, June 27, after a four-year, hard-fought battle with prostate cancer.

The grandson of a Swedish immigrant, Mel was born in Gooding, Idaho, on April 15, 1954, to Charles and Doris Olson. Living in Hill City he attended Camas County schools, graduating in 1972.

That fall, he started at Oregon State University, majoring in chemical engineering. After his sophomore year, he married Roxane Gaskill of Fairfield, and they both attended OSU. Mel received his BS in 1977 and his Masters in Chemical Engineering a year later.

After graduation in 1978, Mel and Roxane moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Mel was employed by Procter & Gamble in the process control of their pulp and paper division. In the mid 1980s, they moved to Columbus, Ohio, and Mel worked for Anatec, again involved in process control.

They decided to head back west to be closer to family, and Mel took a job with PCE Pacific in the Seattle area in 1988. They moved to Whidbey Island, Wash., and at the time of his retirement late last summer, Mel was Director of Business Development for the company. His main focus at the time of his retirement was the gas and oil industry which required travel throughout the northwest, the Gulf Coast and Alaska's North Slope.

Mel and Roxane made one more move at the end of 2014 to a 12-acre farm in Ashland, Ore., somewhat of a return to their rural roots.

Even though he started out land locked, Mel loved boating, first with his sailboat "Webejammin" and later on his power boat, "Hubby Won." He and another friend actually did some night sailing in Canadian waters north of the San Juan Islands.

He and Roxane took "Webejammin" on a three-week sail through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and up the west side of Vancouver Island. He loved to host people on the boats, whether for a week or an afternoon.

When boating became too much for his health, they bought an RV and made several trips, especially up and down the Pacific Coast. His favorite park was near Yachats, Ore., where he could still view the ocean without trying to travel on it.

Another of his passions was cooking and friends, family and strangers reaped the rewards of that passion. He could make a three-course meal from the contents of any refrigerator at any time, saying he liked the challenge. Whether it was a Christmas dinner party for 30, a vegetarian meal for the neighbors or just a brunch for he and Roxane, Mel enjoyed the entire process from menu planning to serving the plates.

His other love, besides his continual list of projects, were his pets. Those with him when he died were Po-cat and the dogs, Astro, Pal and his best buddy, Rowan.

Mel and Roxane marked their 41st anniversary on June 15.

He is survived by his wife, Roxane; his parents, Charles and Dottie Olson; two brothers, Clare (Karen) Olson and David (Rita) Olson and sister Marie (Jason) Zinke; nieces Cassandra and Amanda and nephews Andrew, Matthew and Justin. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Axel and Lela Olson and Milan and Marjorie Basinger and uncles Harlan Olson and Ron Basinger.

Memorial services will be held later this year in Idaho and Washington. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel, in Mountain Home.

Donations may be made to the charity of your choice.