Claudia May (Taylor) Olsen

Claudia May (Taylor) Olsen, age 88, passed away peacefully on March 17, 2026, with family at her bedside. She was born on May 15, 1937, in Salt Lake City to James Stanley Taylor and Maria Elizabeth Turpin. Claudia had two siblings: Stanley Ray Taylor and James Herbert Taylor, both of whom died in childhood of polio. Claudia survived polio and was raised as an only child with her close cousins, Judy (Westover) Butler and Connie (Westover) Lloyd being sister figures to her. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers, and grandsons Kevin Scott Johnson, and Andrew Clyde Olsen.

Claudia graduated from Cyprus High School in Magna, Utah and waited for her childhood sweetheart, Boyd Larson Olsen to return from missionary and military commitments before marrying him in the Salt Lake Temple on April 8, 1960. Much of Boyd and Claudia's courtship was spent at the old S&M Roller Rink on Redwood Road in Granger, Utah. Together they raised 6 Children: Debbie (Kevin) Johnson, Randy (Vicki) Olsen, Tammy (Jeff) Wallace, Mike (Amy) Olsen, Traci (Val) Stevens, and Katy (Dan) Cockerham. They have 24 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

She worked in the office at Strevell-Paterson while Boyd got his education, then stayed home to raise her family. Later, as the children got older, she worked in the office at Kolff Medical (later Symbion) during the development of the Jarvik 7 Artificial Heart. She subsequently worked as an office manager at Snellgrove Ice Cream, and later at Heinhold Engineering before finally retiring.

Claudia loved to sew. She created her own wedding dress and sewed much of the clothing her family wore in the early years. She was the Craft Queen and always had a project she was working on, from decorative centerpieces to quilts to tatted lace. She loved collecting dolls, traveling whenever she could, and she never met an antique store she didn't love. She was also an organizer and the ultimate homemaker and mother.

Claudia loved our Savior and served tirelessly in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over the years she wrote scripts for Road Shows, designed and built floats for the ward to enter into the Days of '47 Parade, and served as a Ward and Stake Girls Camp Director, Ward Primary President, Ward Relief Society President, and with Boyd as Emergency Preparedness Coordinators and as Ordinance Workers at the Jordan River Temple. They loved the temple and served there for several years.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 23, 2026, at 11:00 am at the Granger Ward LDS Chapel located at 2850 West 3835 South, West Valley City, Utah. Viewings will be held on Sunday, March 22, 2026, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at the McDougal Funeral Home located at 4330 South Redwood Road, Taylorsville, Utah and at the chapel one hour prior to the funeral services. Claudia will be laid to rest with her eternal sweetheart, Boyd, at a graveside service on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 11:00 am at the Utah Veterans Memorial Park located at 17111 South Redwood Road, Bluffdale, Utah.