Philip Craig Olsson

Philip C. Olsson – April 1, 1939-June 12, 2026

Philip C. Olsson, 87, of Sanibel, Florida, passed away at HealthPark Medical Center in Fort Myers on June 12, 2026. A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Phil is survived by his wife of 54 years, Diane; children Karen Olsson, Christina Olsson, Amy Olsson, and Craig Olsson; son-in-law Andrew Bujalski and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Olsson; and five grandchildren: Alexander Bujalski, Irene Bujalski, Thor McGuire, Alantha McGuire, and Noah Olsson.

Phil was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, his father’s hometown, and grew up in his mother’s hometown of Plymouth. She was a Mayflower descendant, and Plymouth’s colonial history infused the household of his youth. His own earliest memory was of being bathed in the kitchen sink while his parents and neighbors reacted to the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When he was old enough for music lessons, a teacher recognized that he had much more aptitude for conversation than for piano, and they would spend his lesson time discussing issues of the day. That passion for politics and debate held steady for the rest of his life.

Phil’s father, a lawyer, acquired a local cranberry bog to help pay for his two sons’ college tuitions, and Phil assisted with the bog, harvesting berries or troubleshooting the irrigation system. Those experiences awakened his wider interest in agriculture. He graduated from Philips Andover Academy and was selected by the English Speaking Union for a postgraduate year at the Oundle School in England. He went on to Harvard College, where he studied history, rowed crew, and was the only member of the debate team willing to advocate for Richard Nixon in 1960. Harvard Law School followed.

After beginning his legal career at Hale and Dorr in Boston, he relocated to Washington, D.C., to join the staff of Massachusetts Rep. Hastings Keith. Subsequently he worked for California Rep. Bob Mathias and then moved to the Department of Agriculture, where he became deputy to the Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Consumer Services and was highly involved in expanding the scope of the federal food stamp program.

One night, a California lobbyist friend he’d met through USDA colleagues invited him to dinner, suggesting they meet at a nearby house in Georgetown where the friend was staying. Another young attorney, Diane Lunquist, opened the door. Phil and Diane started dating, and they married in 1972. As children arrived, they moved to the Cleveland Park neighborhood, where they lived for almost fifty years.

Phil returned to private practice in Washington, and in 1979, when Diane was pregnant with their fourth child, Phil, fellow lawyer Rick Frank and their excellent administrative assistant, Anita Harris, struck out on their own. Their law practice, Olsson and Frank (later Olsson, Frank and Weeda and now OFW Law), represented clients in food, drug and agriculture-related matters. Phil was known for his integrity, his work ethic and his ability to come up with inventive solutions to difficult problems. He would commute by bike in his suit, explaining that it was pleasant to coast downhill toward his Dupont Circle office in the morning, and that once he’d completed the uphill climb back to Cleveland Park on a hot, humid afternoon, it was Miller time.

One career highlight was an hours-long lunch in Havana with a client and Cuban president Fidel Castro circa 2001, in the wake of a new law allowing agricultural commodities to be exported to Cuba. Phil and the communist leader were on opposite ends of the political spectrum but shared an enthusiasm for history, and their wide-ranging conversation revealed Castro’s interest in the US Civil War, in particular the Battle of Gettysburg.

As Phil remained a proud New Englander, parties at the Olssons included the occasional clambake. He would often head down to the Potomac Boat Club to take his beloved Pocock shell out on the river, and he and the family tooled around in a Dodge Ram van, complete with a “4 KIDS” vanity plate. They went on many ski trips and other adventures. An accomplished woodworker, he took care of most home repairs himself and was always ready to lend a helping hand or his ever-present pocket knife. The family spent part of every summer in northern Michigan, at Diane’s family’s cottage near Traverse City, where he water-skied and tried windsurfing. He was a member of the Potomac Boat Club, the Metropolitan Club, the Cleveland Park Congregational UCC Church and served on the Board of Trustees for Sheridan School. He also remained involved in Plimoth Plantation (now Plimoth Patuxet Museums) and was a member of the Mayflower Society.

Phil enjoyed grilling, swimming, and reading books about history and foreign policy. He loved music ranging from the classical repertoire, particularly organ, to bluegrass, country and western, the Beach Boys, and Mahalia Jackson. He delighted in funny stories, and whenever a visitor showed up at the house, he could be relied upon to offer them a drink and engage them in conversation.

After their children left home, Phil and Diane traveled widely, completing four European bike tours, along with trips to Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the early 2000s, Phil and Diane bought a house in Sanibel and started spending winters in Florida, where he was on the Forum Committee at the BIGARTS cultural center, helping to recruit distinguished speakers. He was an active participant in the Sanibel Bike Club, especially the Saturday morning rides, and a member of the Sanibel Congregational UCC. A Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2008 slowed him down, but he remained sweet and generous. In the difficult last years of his life, he met the challenges of Parkinson’s with courage and equanimity, and he never lost his interest in the news or his talent for storytelling.

Above all Phil valued family and service to others. When his children were young, Phil would sometimes ask them, “What have you done to help someone today?” He held himself to the same standard and helped many people over the course of his life.

A service to honor Phil will be held this fall. Contributions in his memory should be directed to the Plimoth-Patuxet Museums and the Michael J Fox Foundation.