PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The family of 28-year-old David Olson of Portland is in mourning after he was struck and killed by a MAX train early Thursday morning.
Gresham police investigators are still reviewing the evidence and whether Olson’s use of headphones in a restricted area of the track contributed to the incident.
Olson’s family remembers him as kind and “always a moment away from a joke and a smile” and was known as “Funcle Dave” to his two young nieces and nephew.
“I mean, he often talked about being a comedian,” recalls John Howard, Olson’s brother-in-law. “He was incredibly talented and well-spoken and always a highlight for not just the little ones, but everybody in the room.”
“That’s, I think, one of the biggest things that I will miss is watching him interact with those three, and that he won’t be there,” Howard continued. “They won’t be able to have him around as they grow up. And, you know, he’s my brother-in-law in name only. I do feel as though I lost my brother.”
Even through the shocking loss, Howard also noted that the family does not hold animosity towards the train operator involved, saying “David was an incredibly passionate person and compassionate person who would would be thinking about, you know, about how they’re doing as well.”
Since David was a young man who passed so suddenly, the family was not prepared for the costs of funeral and memorial services, according to Howard. So a friend of the family set up a GoFundMe to aid in the efforts.
“[We want] to make sure that he gets the funeral and the memorial that he deserves,” said Howard. “So that we can say goodbye as a family in an appropriate way.”
The family will release details of a memorial service when available.
