Marvin Olson

Marvin Richard Olson was born to Olaf and Guro Olson on September 8, 1932 in Sioux Agency Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. He was baptized and confirmed into the Christian faith at Rock Valle Lutheran Church. As a young boy, Swede lived on a farm in the Minnesota River valley near Echo, MN and attended a one-room country school. As a young teen he moved to Granite Falls with his parents where he attended Granite Falls High School and graduated in 1950. Swede enlisted in the United States Navy in 1951, served shipboard as a gunner's mate during the Korean Conflict and did tours of duty in Cuba, Greenland and the Mediterranean Sea. He was decorated and honorably discharged in 1955. He returned to Granite Falls following the service where he met and married Evelyn "Evie" Mack, a school teacher. They had three sons: Lee, Craig, and Bruce. Swede worked alongside his father to learn the insurance business and later assumed ownership of the agency. He served the Granite Falls area as a crop and property independent insurance agent for approximately 40 years. Swede was involved in civic organizations including the American Legion, drill team, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and was a founding member of the Granite Falls Sportsman's Club. He had a life-long passion for the outdoors and enjoyed fishing, hunting and wildlife conservation. Family trips to Lake Ida were summer highlights, and he took great care in planning deer hunting trips involving his sons and grandchildren where he served as camp cook. Several years ago Swede was stricken with Alzheimer's and his death resulted from complications associated with the disease. Swede is survived by his wife Evie Olson; sons Lee of Elgin, MN; Craig (Kay) of Omaha, NE; and Bruce (Evy) of Gibbon, MN; brother Glen Olson of Las Vegas, NV; sister-in-law Verna Olson of Echo, MN; grandchildren Garrett and Gannon; Morgan, Wade and Joshua; and Luke and William; and many nieces and nephews. Swede was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Owen, Thelmer (as a young child), Thelmer (Babe), Roy, Odella and Gladys.