‘She was proud to wear the badge’: Stevenson High School grad and South Carolina sheriff’s deputy remembered

Stevenson High School graduate Jillian Olson wanted to do more in a world where others settled for the minimum.

That was how her boss, Lexington County, South Carolina, Sheriff Jay Koon, remembered the 29-year-old master deputy in an emotional but humor-laced funeral service Wednesday in her hometown, Lexington, South Carolina.

Olson, who was born in Evanston and raised in Northbrook and Buffalo Grove, died last week during an underwater training session on Lake Murray. She joined the sheriff’s dive team in 2024.

During the service at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Koon remembered how Olson loved diving and had recently completed her 100th dive.

Koon recalled the time the department searched for a high school student who had threatened self-harm.

“There were several small ponds in the area that needed to be searched,” Koon said.

The search ended with Olson, returning with her dive team, covered in mud but wearing a smile, happy to report all clear.

Koon said her call sign, 122, will be retired.

Jillian’s brother Corey Olson said his sister was bold, funny, caring, sassy and loyal, with a loud voice and a contagious laugh.

“There was never a moment when Jillian admitted defeat or gave up because something was difficult,” he said. “If anything, it only made her more determined.”

Jillian’s sister Julia Wiegmann said her son Lochlann believed his Auntie Bebe could send tornadoes away and save people from volcanoes.

Jillian pursued her dreams, said her father, Jim Olson. He said she loved sports, including softball and martial arts. She earned a black belt in middle school.

After finishing her education at Western Illinois University, Jillian took her puppy and moved to South Carolina to build the life she wanted. The puppy would be joined by two other dogs.

“She was proud to wear the badge, and she was proud of the people who wore it beside her,” Jim Olson said.

His daughter’s love for the water expressed itself in paddleboarding, kayaking and jet skiing.

“She didn't watch life,” he said. “She jumped in, literally and figuratively.”

Speakers included her godfather and longtime friend, Frank Anderson, pastor at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

“I have known Jillian since the day she was born,” said Anderson, who baptized her in 1997. “I held her in the hospital.”

He said her greatest wish was to be the helper who brought comfort, safety and a sense of humor.

Anderson said in the past few days, Olson’s squad car has been covered with flowers, cards and notes. One that stood out said, “You were always kind in every way. I wrapped your burrito.”

He said if Jillian had a “brag wall,” she would have framed that note in preference to the other honors she accumulated, including the outstanding judicial services deputy of the year and the sheriff’s department’s tactical operations support award.

Tributes to Olson have been pouring in from various South Carolina officials, including U.S. senators Tim Scott and Darline Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster, who is having the flags atop the Statehouse flown at half staff.

szalusky@dailyherald.com