From my hometown...

John C. Olin, 1957-2009: Bicycle shop owner donated kidney to friend
Whether riding or skiing, he lived life with a passion

By Trevor Jensen | TRIBUNE REPORTER
June 15, 2009

John C. Olin had swallowed a few pain pills and a couple of beers when he made the decision to give one of his kidneys to a friend in the winter of 2002.

He had just torn up his knee in the back bowls of Vail at the end of a typically all-out day of skiing with buddy Jeff Miller. Miller wasn't in very good shape that night either, wrapped in a blanket and shivering in front of the fireplace because of a failing kidney.

Miller didn't initially take the offer seriously, and, besides, he was hesitant about taking a kidney from a close friend.

The medication wore off, but Mr. Olin's determination to donate his organ did not.

"He followed through on this in just an amazing way," Miller said. "He didn't just step forward, he ran forward."

Friends said that kind of generosity was typical of Mr. Olin, a sailor, skier, wind surfer and dedicated bicyclist who owned the Higher Gear bike shops in Highland Park and Wilmette.

Mr. Olin, 51, died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday, June 9, at Highland Park Hospital, said his girlfriend Mimi Noonan.

He was a resident of Deerfield, and just three days before his death had participated in his usual Saturday morning group bicycle ride of 50 to 60 miles at more than 20 miles per hour.

An aggressive but inclusive rider, Mr. Olin always was recruiting new members to his cycling groups and was the first to drop back to help a rider who was struggling, said Scott Sims, who had ridden with Mr. Olin for many years.

According to Noonan, "He literally would put his hand on your back and push you up a hill if you were having trouble, whether he knew you or not."

Mr. Olin grew up on Christmas Lake, west of Minneapolis, sailing competitively from a young age and swimming on his high school team. He spent two years at the University of the Pacific in California but got bored and started a sailboat-rigging business, said his brother Tony.

With his wife, Elinor, a musician he met in college, Mr. Olin lived in Mexico City and Florida before moving to the northern suburbs.

He took a job at Hedlund Marine in Wilmette, sailing his Laser class sailboat in Lake Michigan and crewing on boats in the Chicago to Mackinac race. He got into bicycling and went to work for RRB Cycles in Kenilworth.

Able to infuse others with his enthusiasm for bicycling, he became popular in the North Shore bicycling community. A couple of customers staked him to his own shop and thus was born Higher Gear.

"He was a person who put his mind to something and invested himself in it fully," his brother said.

Mr. Olin had known Miller for many years, taking frequent skiing trips to Colorado, where they would trek outside boundaries to find downhill adventure.

"We're both pretty crazy on skis," Miller said.

The transplant took place on Oct. 22, 2002. Within five weeks, Mr. Olin was back on his bicycle. Miller's life was rejuvenated, and his friend's attitude toward his organ donation allowed them to maintain their friendship without any awkward moments.

"It meant so much for him to do this, it became easy to become forever grateful," Miller said.

Miller, a dedicated bicyclist himself, won a race at the 2006 Transplant Games, an Olympics-style competition for those who have received organ transplants. Mr. Olin was on hand to present him with his medal.

"Every time I got on my bike, I felt like I was honoring the gift he gave me," Miller said. "And I think that was understood between us."

Mr. Olin was nearing the close of a divorce from his wife, Elinor.

He is also survived by his mother, Molly Johanna Culligan; two daughters, Cecilia and Caroline; and another brother, Brendan.

Services were held.

ttjensen@tribune.com