By admin 
Master Deputy Jillian Olson was a black belt in taekwondo, but she also loved to dance. You could count on her to “break the ice.” She loved her family.
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Olson died during an underwater training exercise with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department on Lake Murray on July 30. She was 29.
Born into an “amazing” family and raised in the Chicago suburbs, Olson was a rough and tumble kid with what her godfather, Pastor Frank Anderson, described as a “shock” of blond hair.
She was “a lot of fun, always funny” and “ready to play” — she always wanted to be part of the action, Anderson said.
Olson graduated from Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, in 2015, and went on to pursue a degree in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University. She earned a master’s degree too, in college student personnel services.
Then in 2021, Anderson got a call “out of the blue.” Once the pastor of Olson’s family church in Illinois, Anderson had since moved to the Midlands. Olson had applied for a job with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
“Is that anywhere near you?” Olson had asked him. It was.
Olson got the job with the department in 2021 and found quick success. In 2023, she received the Sheriff’s Tactical Operations Support Award, in recognition of her contributions to the department. Though she was part of the warrants division, she joined the department’s dive team in 2024.
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It gave her chance to challenge herself, Anderson said.
In 2025, Olson was promoted to master deputy of the warrant division and was continuously recognized for her hard work and dedication.
“She embraced it, loved it,” Anderson said. “She was much loved by her colleagues.”
According to her obituary, Olson loved spending time on the lake, from paddleboarding to diving. She often taught herself new skills, whether it was installing ceiling fans or learning to cook.
On Wednesday, Olson will be lay in state at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, and will be buried at the St. Michael Lutheran Church Cemetery.
Olson is leaving an “unimaginable” void in the lives of her loved ones, Anderson said. She was 29, and looking to settle down and start a family. Olson had “so much potential.”
“The world lost someone who was making a difference,” Anderson said. “She could’ve done anything she wanted to do. She would’ve gone far.”
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