James E. Olsen, of Laurel, died April 28, 2014 at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital. He was 69 years old.
He was born in Kew Gardens on Feb. 18, 1945, the son of James and Evelyn Olsen.
Olsen was a highly decorated Vietnam war veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970. He earned the Combat Action Ribbon, a Presidential Unit Citation/Ribbon, a Vietnam Service Medal (two bronze stars), a Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V”, a National Defense Service Medal, a Vietnam Campaign Medal, and a Good Conduct Award for the period ending Feb. 9, 1970. Wounded in action in Vietnam on Sept. 20, 1967 and Oct. 11, 1967, he was awarded a Purple Heart (two gold stars.) He served in the U.S. Navy Reserves from his discharge in 1970 until 1993.
He married the former Lynn Clement on July 13, 1968.
Olsen earned a a nursing degree at Suffolk County Community College and bachelor’s and master’s degrees at C.W. Post. He worked as a registered nurse at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead.
Olsen was a volunteer with Suffolk County Boy Scouts; he was involved with Troop and Pack 39. He was a former coach in the North Fork Soccer League and a former trustee for the Laurel school district. He was a member of the Mattituck American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In addition to his wife of 45 years, Olsen is survived by his sons, James, of Laurel, and Erik, of Oregon. He is also survived by his brother Kenneth, of Missouri.
The family will receive visitors at the Coster-Heppner Funeral Home on Friday, May 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, May 3, from 1 to 4 p.m. A service will take place at the funeral home Saturday at 4 p.m. Internment with military honors will be at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Suffolk County Boy Scouts Council.
