Our beautiful son Derrick Lee Olesen passed away on a beautiful April spring morning surrounded by family and his care givers.

He was born in Springfield OR, on Jan 12th 1989. Shortly after his birth his parents moved back to Montana, their true home. His father's job took them many places in the pacific northwest. Making their homes from Oregon, to Idaho and Washington but Montana has always been home.

Derrick loved the outdoors. He spent many summers white water rafting and was a great boatman handling his own cataraft. He loved to fish, a true Montanan with a fly rod in his hand. Swimming, wakeboarding and snow sports were all activities he found joy in. Derrick learned to ski at a young age and he took to it amazingly fast. His parents would have to chase him down the hill. Of course, he wanted to ride, so in his teens he was off with his friends to the mountain. Derrick was fearless; he took off on his first bike on his first try and later that day his parents caught him removing his training wheels. This eventually led to his love of racing. He raced go karts and Legend cars for much of his youth, earning him a number of championships and track records. He took to motorcycles and rode them as hard as his race cars, despite the ever-present scolding from his concerned parents. He was an accomplished bird hunter, bringing many ducks and geese home. He worked many constructions jobs where his love for driving translated into operating heavy equipment. Derrick left this world way too young. He leaves a huge empty space but where he's headed, he will no doubt find happiness again.

He is survived by his beautiful daughter, Madeleine Lee, his parents Cindi and Greg.

A remembrance gathering will be scheduled for family and friends at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Lewis and Clark Humane Society would be most appreciated.