Obituary for Mary Ann Olsen
Mary Ann O. Olsen, 89, passed away Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Tri-State Memorial Hospital from injuries she received from a fall. She is now in heaven catching up and sharing her one-of-a-kind hugs with friends and family. If you’ve ever been the lucky recipient of one of her hugs, then you know exactly what we are talking about.
Mary Ann was born June 7, 1932, in Tordenskjold Township, Minn. She was an only child and grew up on the 365-acre family farm near Stalker Lake in Otter Tail County, Minn., with her beloved parents, John and Bertha. She shared many wonderful adventures with Pal, her best pup and constant companion. Mary Ann attended grades one to eight in a one-room schoolhouse, with water being carried from a neighboring farmhouse. She shared stories of riding her horse or skiing to school during the hard Minnesota winters. One of her fondest memories as a child was being chosen to sing the Norwegian national anthem to the King of Norway during his visit to their community. She later attended and graduated from the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston, Minn. There, she made many lifelong friends and countless wonderful memories.
Mary Ann married J. L. Larsen in 1950 and they had two children: Christy, born in 1952, and John, who joined the family in 1953. They were later divorced. When the family relocated to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, Mary Ann began working as the office manager at Schilling Distributing. On Saturdays, she worked doing food demonstrations at Clarkston Albertson’s, which is where she met the love of her life, Raymond E. “Pug” Olsen. They were married March 12, 1960. Renee joined the family in 1963. When Renee went into the first grade, Mary Ann returned to work outside the home as the office manager at Tidyman’s Warehouse Foods, where she worked for 17 years. She then served as the city clerk/treasurer for the city of Asotin until her retirement in 1997.
Through thick and thin, Pug and Mary Ann spent the next 47 years together. They were partners in every sense of the word. Together, they taught their children to laugh, to love God and family, to have an opinion and take a stand, the value of hard work, and the importance of volunteering and giving back to their community. When Pug’s health began to fail in 1982, the doctors gave him six months to live, and with Mary Ann’s constant love and support, they proved his doctors wrong for 25 years.
Mary Ann’s love language was gifts of service. She was known to stay up most of the night to finish sewing her children’s back to school clothes or to bake just one more batch of her famous cinnamon rolls to be shared with friends. Her Norwegian heritage was always a big and important part of her life. Mealtime prayers were offered in Norwegian and the term “uff da” was expressed daily.
Through the years, she faced many life-threatening health challenges. When anyone else would have broken, Mary Ann stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly looks like.
Mary Ann was an active member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, where she served on church council and numerous committees. She was very involved with the Tri-State Hospital Auxiliary and proudly served on the Asotin County Housing Authority Board as chairman and board member for many years. Mary Ann was a member of Daughters of the Nile, PEO, and the Asotin Girls’ Birthday Lunch Club. Pug and Mary Ann also filled in for Santa and Mrs. Claus at community events and parades. She loved spending time with family and friends, traveling, completing the daily Jumble and Cougar football.
Among those who miss her deeply are her children, Christy (Gene) Holand, John Olsen (Mariette Osburn) and Renee Olsen (Doug Barton); grandchildren Tina Olsen, Shane Olsen and Lynnette Simonsen; bonus grandchildren Tony Holand, Tyler Holand, Rachelle Barton, Kara Barton, Aaron Armstrong, Ben Armstrong and Chanel Ackerland; great-grandchildren Mitchell Miller, Collin Ham, Levi Olsen, Jemma Ackerland and Jackson Chess; and her best pup, Eadie.
Friends and family will have an opportunity to gather in her memory at an open house that will take place in June. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to the charity of your choice.
Mary Ann was born June 7, 1932, in Tordenskjold Township, Minn. She was an only child and grew up on the 365-acre family farm near Stalker Lake in Otter Tail County, Minn., with her beloved parents, John and Bertha. She shared many wonderful adventures with Pal, her best pup and constant companion. Mary Ann attended grades one to eight in a one-room schoolhouse, with water being carried from a neighboring farmhouse. She shared stories of riding her horse or skiing to school during the hard Minnesota winters. One of her fondest memories as a child was being chosen to sing the Norwegian national anthem to the King of Norway during his visit to their community. She later attended and graduated from the Northwest School of Agriculture in Crookston, Minn. There, she made many lifelong friends and countless wonderful memories.
Mary Ann married J. L. Larsen in 1950 and they had two children: Christy, born in 1952, and John, who joined the family in 1953. They were later divorced. When the family relocated to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, Mary Ann began working as the office manager at Schilling Distributing. On Saturdays, she worked doing food demonstrations at Clarkston Albertson’s, which is where she met the love of her life, Raymond E. “Pug” Olsen. They were married March 12, 1960. Renee joined the family in 1963. When Renee went into the first grade, Mary Ann returned to work outside the home as the office manager at Tidyman’s Warehouse Foods, where she worked for 17 years. She then served as the city clerk/treasurer for the city of Asotin until her retirement in 1997.
Through thick and thin, Pug and Mary Ann spent the next 47 years together. They were partners in every sense of the word. Together, they taught their children to laugh, to love God and family, to have an opinion and take a stand, the value of hard work, and the importance of volunteering and giving back to their community. When Pug’s health began to fail in 1982, the doctors gave him six months to live, and with Mary Ann’s constant love and support, they proved his doctors wrong for 25 years.
Mary Ann’s love language was gifts of service. She was known to stay up most of the night to finish sewing her children’s back to school clothes or to bake just one more batch of her famous cinnamon rolls to be shared with friends. Her Norwegian heritage was always a big and important part of her life. Mealtime prayers were offered in Norwegian and the term “uff da” was expressed daily.
Through the years, she faced many life-threatening health challenges. When anyone else would have broken, Mary Ann stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly looks like.
Mary Ann was an active member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, where she served on church council and numerous committees. She was very involved with the Tri-State Hospital Auxiliary and proudly served on the Asotin County Housing Authority Board as chairman and board member for many years. Mary Ann was a member of Daughters of the Nile, PEO, and the Asotin Girls’ Birthday Lunch Club. Pug and Mary Ann also filled in for Santa and Mrs. Claus at community events and parades. She loved spending time with family and friends, traveling, completing the daily Jumble and Cougar football.
Among those who miss her deeply are her children, Christy (Gene) Holand, John Olsen (Mariette Osburn) and Renee Olsen (Doug Barton); grandchildren Tina Olsen, Shane Olsen and Lynnette Simonsen; bonus grandchildren Tony Holand, Tyler Holand, Rachelle Barton, Kara Barton, Aaron Armstrong, Ben Armstrong and Chanel Ackerland; great-grandchildren Mitchell Miller, Collin Ham, Levi Olsen, Jemma Ackerland and Jackson Chess; and her best pup, Eadie.
Friends and family will have an opportunity to gather in her memory at an open house that will take place in June. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to the charity of your choice.