Aaron K. Olmstead ’96 died on June 27, 2025, in Medford, Massachusetts.

[family-provided account]

Aaron Kyle Olmstead ’96
November 26, 1975 – June 17.2025

Aaron Kyle Olmstead died at home on his terms facing the water he loved on June 17, 2025, surrounded by his husband and family.

Aaron was born November 26, 1975, in Bangor, Maine. He was always full of wonder. He created beauty through his infectious curiosity and the joy he took in learning something new. He embraced life to the fullest with his mind and body.

Aaron worked for many organizations, applying his great big brain to inventing and implementing solutions to tricky problems. He worked hard and always with integrity and care for those he worked with. He was a professional class act, incredibly meticulous and creative but work was not Aaron’s life. He loved being outdoors, was a gourmet who had very definite opinions on wines and good dining but also loved to cook, and an obsessive gardener. He appreciated modern design and loved the history and thinking of the artists involved. He knew the Latin name for just about any plant, and most animals. He loved the ocean with his whole heart and soul. Nothing seemed to make him happier than the beaches of Cape Ann and Cape Cod, where he delighted in swimming through the winter. Aaron was also a musician. From a very early age he played the violin and composed music. Later in his too short life, he decided to dedicate himself to learning the piano and performed with excitement and pride. You could see the passion in his eyes when he played. It was the same passion he brought to everything he did. Aaron’s huge smile, laughter, charm and arch commentary live on in his family and dear friends who loved him so fiercely and got him through some difficult time.

Aaron graduated from Bowdoin Summa cum laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and as a James Bowdoin Scholar in 1993, 1994, and 1995. He is survived by his husband, Patrick Gan, his mother and father, Jan and Dan Olmstead, his sister, Marlais Brand, and nieces, Holly and JJ Brand.