John Olson, founder of Olson Tire Service Inc. in Mount Pleasant, Mich., died on March 26, 2012, in a fishing accident. He was 76.
According to the "Morning Sun," Olson was swept away in the Pere Marquette River in West Michigan while launching a boat into the the river with a friend.
"He loved to fish as much as retreading and designing equipment," says Bob Majewski, president of the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). "John was the inventor of the Olson Enveloping machine that is still being used in most precure retread plants today."
Olson started his namesake business in 1959. He sold it to his sons, Tim and Pat, in 1999.
He also was involved in many industry associations. He was a board member with the American Retreaders Association and then the International Tire & Rubber Association for many years.
Olson is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kay, and his family. Modern Tire Dealer will pass along more information as it becomes available.
