Evelyn Olson
d. April 8, 2024
Evelyn Louise (Mack) Olson passed away on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Omaha, Nebraska. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 11th at 11:00 am at the Granite Falls Lutheran Church. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association in Evie's name.
Evelyn Louise (Mack) Olson was born January 3, 1934 to Leo and Sadye (Wiljakkala) Mack of Finlayson, MN. She was baptized and confirmed into the Christian faith at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Finlayson. To her family and friends, she was known as Evie. She graduated from Finlayson High School, and St. Cloud Teachers College. Afterward she began her long career at Granite Falls Elementary School teaching kindergarten, first and second grades.
Evie enjoyed telling stories about her early years in teaching and of how she met her future husband. As a single, female teacher, she stayed in a boarding house with other young women. There was a small diner a couple blocks away downtown where the owner occasionally kept the doors open late. There she met a young man named Marvin “Swede” Olson, recently discharged from the U.S. Navy, who moonlighted flipping burgers while learning the insurance business from his father. The rest is history as Swede and Evie were married on June 23, 1957 and were soon blessed with three sons: Lee, Craig and Bruce.
Evie took several years off from teaching to raise her boys. She told stories about how her mother broke down barriers during her teaching career, being one of the first married women in Minnesota allowed to teach in the classroom. Evie was proud to be a teacher; she obtained her master’s degree and taught for 35 years. During that time, she developed life-long friends with countless women and men in the profession and served as a leader at local and state levels of the Minnesota Education Association, and attended many graduate level courses for advancing education.
Evie was a member of Granite Falls Lutheran Church and was active in numerous ways including Stephen Ministry, guild, teaching Sunday school, singing in choir, and serving as a youth group advisor. She served her community as a Cub Scout den leader, American Legion Auxiliary Girls State chairperson & treasurer, Legion Auxiliary Scholarship Association secretary and also was a long time Ladies Aid Society member.
For fun, Evie enjoyed playing the piano, golfing, and playing bridge with her friends. Summer vacations to Lake Ida were memorable, as were occasional road trips across the country. In later years, she was socially active in the Granite Falls Senior Center and the Community Center and participated in water aerobics. She was Swede’s in-home caretaker as he advanced through the stages of memory loss. In 2011 they moved to Omaha where Swede soon passed. Evie made an assisted living facility her home where she established strong relationships with many residents and was involved in virtually every activity offered. Evie died peacefully at home in the presence of her family.
Evie was preceded in death by her husband Swede, parents, in-laws Olaf & Gertie Olson, and sister Elizabeth (Walt) Mensing; In-laws: Owen (Leona) Olson, Thelmer “Babe” (Vera) Olson, Glen (Roma) Olson, Roy Olson, Odella (Hermy) Tongen, and Gladys (Albert) Ose
She is survived by sister Helen (Larry) Olson, sons Lee (Marcia), Craig (Kay) and Bruce (Evy); grandchildren Garrett (Rebekah) & Gannon; Morgan (Chad) Newman, Wade & Joshua; Luke (Kelly) & William; and two great-grandchildren; Jack & Charley.
Evelyn Louise (Mack) Olson was born January 3, 1934 to Leo and Sadye (Wiljakkala) Mack of Finlayson, MN. She was baptized and confirmed into the Christian faith at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Finlayson. To her family and friends, she was known as Evie. She graduated from Finlayson High School, and St. Cloud Teachers College. Afterward she began her long career at Granite Falls Elementary School teaching kindergarten, first and second grades.
Evie enjoyed telling stories about her early years in teaching and of how she met her future husband. As a single, female teacher, she stayed in a boarding house with other young women. There was a small diner a couple blocks away downtown where the owner occasionally kept the doors open late. There she met a young man named Marvin “Swede” Olson, recently discharged from the U.S. Navy, who moonlighted flipping burgers while learning the insurance business from his father. The rest is history as Swede and Evie were married on June 23, 1957 and were soon blessed with three sons: Lee, Craig and Bruce.
Evie took several years off from teaching to raise her boys. She told stories about how her mother broke down barriers during her teaching career, being one of the first married women in Minnesota allowed to teach in the classroom. Evie was proud to be a teacher; she obtained her master’s degree and taught for 35 years. During that time, she developed life-long friends with countless women and men in the profession and served as a leader at local and state levels of the Minnesota Education Association, and attended many graduate level courses for advancing education.
Evie was a member of Granite Falls Lutheran Church and was active in numerous ways including Stephen Ministry, guild, teaching Sunday school, singing in choir, and serving as a youth group advisor. She served her community as a Cub Scout den leader, American Legion Auxiliary Girls State chairperson & treasurer, Legion Auxiliary Scholarship Association secretary and also was a long time Ladies Aid Society member.
For fun, Evie enjoyed playing the piano, golfing, and playing bridge with her friends. Summer vacations to Lake Ida were memorable, as were occasional road trips across the country. In later years, she was socially active in the Granite Falls Senior Center and the Community Center and participated in water aerobics. She was Swede’s in-home caretaker as he advanced through the stages of memory loss. In 2011 they moved to Omaha where Swede soon passed. Evie made an assisted living facility her home where she established strong relationships with many residents and was involved in virtually every activity offered. Evie died peacefully at home in the presence of her family.
Evie was preceded in death by her husband Swede, parents, in-laws Olaf & Gertie Olson, and sister Elizabeth (Walt) Mensing; In-laws: Owen (Leona) Olson, Thelmer “Babe” (Vera) Olson, Glen (Roma) Olson, Roy Olson, Odella (Hermy) Tongen, and Gladys (Albert) Ose
She is survived by sister Helen (Larry) Olson, sons Lee (Marcia), Craig (Kay) and Bruce (Evy); grandchildren Garrett (Rebekah) & Gannon; Morgan (Chad) Newman, Wade & Joshua; Luke (Kelly) & William; and two great-grandchildren; Jack & Charley.
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