Jeannette "Dolly" Olson

Jeannette Koecher was born on December 28, 1920 at a farm near Echo, Minnesota, the daughter of Fred and Amelia (Bendix) Koecher. She was a grand-daughter of pioneers who settled Posen Township, Wood Lake, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. As a young girl she acquired the nickname, “Dolly”. She attended the Echo Public school and was a member of the Methodist church. After her parents retired from farming, she moved with them to East Granite Falls in October, 1951. On October 10, 1954, she was married to Curt A. Olson and resided with him in rural Granite Falls enjoying gardening, bird watching, and other outdoor activities with Curt until his death on March 26, 1999. She remained on the Olson homestead until the spring of 2012 when declining health forced her to move to the Manor where she resided until her death on Thanksgiving November 26, 2015.
Jeannette (Dolly) was active in various organizations throughout her life, including the Yellow Medicine Historical Society, Order of the Eastern Star, Sons of Norway Lodge, Senior Citizen volunteers and also her church - Granite Falls Lutheran and the United Church of Christ. She developed her skills in writing and used them to good advantage in several instances with the Yellow Medicine and Chippewa County historical societies. Jeannette was also a popular columnist for the Granite Falls Tribune for many years writing about her childhood growing up on a farm. Several of her poems and remembrances have appeared in the nationally known publication “Ideals”. She often reflected how things had changed over her 94 plus years of life as she grew up in the days before electricity brought conveniences such as washing machines, electric irons and refrigeration into the home. She had seen the advent of radio, and finally television. Her memories included going to school in a horse-drawn sleigh or buggy, the days of stacking bundles of grain and threshing, of hand milking and separating, of hatching chicks with “clucks” or incubators and seeing the changes from horse-drawn to mechanical machinery.
Dolly was preceded in death by husband Curt A. Olson, parents Fred and Amelia (Bendix) Koecher, brothers Verl and Fred Koecher, and sister Lorene (Mrs. George) Schade. Also preceded in death by step-daughter-in-law Sandra (Mrs. James J. Olson). Survived by step-son James J. Olson, Mendota Heights, MN, his children, daughter Melissa (Mrs. Srikanth) Varanasi, St. Paul, MN, Jon Olson (wife Michelle Devereau), Eagan, MN, and daughter Christine (Mrs. Christopher) McCarten, West St. Paul and their families including 12 step-great-grandchildren. Also survived by nieces Jean (Mrs. Marlowe) Potter, Fairmont, MN and children David, Carol, John and Mary Beth and Lois (Mrs. Ross) Ziemer, West Fargo, ND.