Kelly Cutter Olson

life story

An Old Soul…

It was as if he arrived already filled with wisdom and knowledge and was here to continue his quest for more. Kelly lived large. He was a lifelong explorer, diving deep, discovering the next thing, always learning, testing the limits.

Kelly Cutter Olson

On March 19, 2021, Kelly Cutter Olson, incredible son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin and friend to many around the world, died in his Minneapolis home at the age of 44. He was born on September 13, 1976, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota to Lynda Merry and Scott Olson.

Kelly’s early natural curiosity and instinctive talent for all things related to the internet predicted his first career. He taught himself to write computer code in grade school, built an early prototype search engine, MNdex (Minnesota Index) while in high school before such things existed, and after completing high school worked for several Twin Cities companies building their first websites for e-commerce.

In his early twenties, Kelly bought his first home, which he later sold to move to San Francisco, California. There, he worked for Federated, where he helped build Macy’s first e-commerce online catalog, Macys.com. His talents were well known in the industry, opening doors to many more opportunities.

Following his time in California, Kelly traveled, lived and worked around the world. He eventually settled in Asia, where he pivoted to his passion for film, co-building a successful film and media company in Taiwan.

After spending a decade in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Kelly returned to the United States, and settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He used the limits of the pandemic years to consider what might be next for him. No doubt, it would have been amazing.

Beyond his careers, Kelly’s other interests knew no boundaries. He loved his family, (which included an assortment of dogs), cars, cooking, travel, fashion, film, music, writing, and so much more. He was always following and expanding his knowledge of world events and politics. And, he was a fierce defender and advocate for democracy and human rights. Spend any time with Kelly and you came away smarter.

Kelly is survived by his proud and devoted mom, Lynda Merry and her partner Tom Weiss, his father, Scott Olson, half siblings Danelle and Dahlen, his grandfather, Charles Merry, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many, many friends. Kelly was preceded in death by grandparents June Merry, Karen Merry, Norman and Esther Olson, an uncle James Ringler, and an aunt Denise Merry Miller. His presence on this planet will be greatly missed.

Kelly’s stardust remains will be returned to the universe in ongoing private family moments, at locations that honor and memorialize the life he lived, and always in the spirit of Carl Sagan who reminds us that “we are all made of star stuff...”