Doctor Olaf Sundwall

Olaf Sundwall, 1918-----------Olaf Sundwall , US Navy World War II

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Doctor Olaf Sundwall was a very hard-working country doctor. He made housecalls in the middle of the night, almost every night. During the winter months, he would often call the county road crews to help him get through the deep snows on his missions of mercy. As a result of this dedication to his patients, his skills and his hard work, he eventually built up an enormous medical practice.

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Olaf was born June 14, 1891 in Fairview, Utah. He was the youngest of Peter and Anna Sundwall's five children. Olaf grew up in Fairview in a normal boyhood way. During the winter, he went to school, but in the summer he worked in the sheep camps and cutting trees for the mines and sawmills in the nearby mountains.

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He entered the University of Utah as a freshman around 1909. During this time he worked at the copper mills at Magna and Garfield. He continued his education in Lawrence, Kansas. He graduated there with the Class of 1915, and then went on to medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Olaf married Martha Lillian Nyvall on October 19, 1918. At about the time of their marriage, he completed his internship and began the practice of medicine. Lillian was a registered nurse. They first moved to Cedar City, Utah, where he worked on the nearby Ute Indian Reservation. Not long afterward, they moved to Mt. Pleasant where they could be near the Sundwall family home in Fairview.

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Olaf practiced medicine in Mt. Pleasant for about five years, from 1920 to 1924. In 1925, he moved his family to the Salt Lake City area. It was the classic move from small town to city that was taking place all over America during those years.

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Although Olaf was a general practitioner, or family doctor, he became well-known for maternity work.

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With the advent of World War II, he enlisted in the navy and received a commission as a lieutenant commander in the medical corps. His commission was dated June 2, 1944. He went first to a navy recruit training depot at Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. This was a large training base near Spokane, Washington. Later he was transferred to Denver, Colorado where he attached to a navy induction center.

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For his work with the selective service system and new recruits, he was awarded a Medal of Merit. He also received a Certificate of Appreciation from the State of Utah.

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After the war, Olaf resumed his medical practice, but on a limited scale. He was ready to slow down. He shared a clinic with Dr. Val Sundwall in Murray until he completely retired in the middle of the 1930's. Val was a nephew, the son of Peter Sundwall Jr.

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Olaf suffered a heart attack on October 30, 1970 while at home. He was 79 years old. Tributes came from many sources at the time of his funeral. The most touching and cherished were from people who came forward, many with tears in their eyes, and told how he had helped them through the dark days of the Great Depression with food, fuel, or free medical care. He and his wife, Martha are buried in the Murray City Cemetery.

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Olaf and Martha were the parents of two children, Clara and Kenneth.