Eric Edward Olsen

Eric Edward Olsen, pioneering financier, avid gardener and beloved family man and friend, died on November 17, 2021, in Barrington, Ill. He was 72.

Eric was born Portland, Ore., on June 12, 1949, to John and Margaret Olsen. He grew up alongside his two brothers outside of Portland in Milwaukie. He met his wife of nearly 50 years, Margaret Guyles, at Oregon State University, but transferred to Portland State University, graduating with a double degree in business and political science.

Professional pursuits took the couple across the country to New Hampshire, where Eric earned a Master of Business Administration at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Eric started his career in finance at FMC Corporation in Chicago and San Jose, followed by a position with Morgan Equipment in San Raphael, Calif. Eric and Margaret ultimately settled with their two daughters, Catherine and Elizabeth, in Barrington Hills, Ill.

A pivotal milestone in Eric’s career was his role as a founding Partner of HOLT Value Associates. In 1991, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) acquired the corporate planning segment of HOLT and Eric became BCG’s global leader of value creation strategy. During a 30-year career with BCG, Eric remained a trusted counselor to CEOs and CFOs, mentor to numerous case teams and a finance innovator up until the morning he passed away. His wise, patient leadership, calm under pressure and quick humor will be missed by clients and colleagues worldwide.

Despite his hectic professional responsibilities, Eric made time to for his life’s passion creating garden masterpieces, including the fifteen-acre landscaped paradise he created at ‘Woods Walk’, the family’s home in Barrington Hills, Ill. ‘Woods Walk’ – and the gardens Eric created alongside his wife and daughters – has been preserved in the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution.

Farmer Olsen, as Eric was affectionately known, was often a man of few words, but he spoke volumes through flowers and the gardens he nurtured and shared with so many.

Eric was predeceased by his parents. He leaves behind his wife Margaret Olsen; his daughters Catherine Olsen and Elizabeth Olsen Wolfgram and her husband Andrew and their son Austin; and his brothers Jorn Olsen and Mark Olsen and their families.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Garden Conservancy, P.O. Box 608
Garrison, NY 10524, www.gardenconservancy.org or the Chicago Botanic Garden, www.chicagobotanic.org so that Eric’s love of gardens may endure and bring joy and comfort to others.