Shirly Olson passed away, Monday, April 29, 2024, at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Osage, Iowa at 2 a.m. (Sunday would have been Shirly & George’s Wedding Anniversary!) They were married for almost 65 years!
Shirly Ann (Martin) Olson was born: May 15, 1933, in Dows, IA. Her parents were: Eddie & Minnie Martin.
They were farmers & lived on a farm, near Dows, Iowa. They had 5 children:(4 girls & 1 boy)
Shirly graduated in 1951 from Rowan High School. (that same year her brother, Garold also graduated).
Shirly worked in Mason City at Damons, in back stocking shelves, doing whatever had to be done. There she met a girlfriend, who had a boyfriend. His name was Earle Torney. They got Shirly hooked up with his friend, George Olson.
Shirly married, George Olson, April 28, 1957, in Rowan, IA. They started their family on a farm west of St. Ansgar, IA. They had 4 children: Allan, Craig, Karen, Dale.
In 1960 George & Shirly helped build the house where they lived, most all their married life. Shirly was always helping with farming, driving tractor, picking corn, raising farm animals, specializing in chickens, sheep. She always had a garden & putting lot away to feed the family.
Shirly knew how to sew quite well; she took many sewing lessons for her special sewing machines. She loved to quilt with the ladies from the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, even thou she was a member of the first Lutheran Church.
She was also a good cook, always trying new recipes. I remember, Shirly was pretty good at making caramel popcorn, that we ate watching TV.
She told me, they made lots of home-made ice cream, when they had cows. They poured the salt water from making ice cream on the asparagus & it grew like crazy! George’s mother (Edna) was very impressed!
One thing annoyed Shirly. People always spelled her name wrong. That there was no e in name Shirly. Even when they were careful about spelling it right, it came out wrong. Running spell check would correct it! Then it would be wrong.
She liked to do crafts & was always working on something. Always doing a fine job!
Shirly & George loved to collect things, going to spring clean-up days, around the area. It was a highlight of the year to them & boy could they pack a lot away in a small area! Allan & Sherrie quickly found that to be true, when working on the farm.
They enjoyed spending time with friends:
Doc. & Elner Allen, in their cabin in Canada. They belong to the Snow Mobile Club, & had fun riding snow mobiles all over the area. They bought an RV & went on many vacations with her daughter, Karen & her family! They also visited Craig in Texas, bringing with them his daughter Emily to visit.Shirly always had cats to feed on the farm. She also did most of the mowing (which was a two-day job), until entering the nursing home. (Oct. 2019)
Her husband, George died 2022 after suffering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome & having a tracheotomy & a feeding tube, not being able to talk or walk going from almost dying. To greatly improving in the process of 6 years.
During that time, Allan & Shirly (most of the time Sherrie) went weekly trips to Rochester, then to
Mankato when George was there. Always stopping at Culvers for a meal on the way. Allan said mom really enjoyed her ice-cream. The truth was they both really enjoyed it! When George finally got to moved back closer, to Osage Rehab. that was truly was blessing!
Then Shirly got moved to the Nursing Home, after having a fall outside on the farm. She got to eat meals & do activities together with George. They even went thru the covid 19 crisis together.
She will be greatly missed! She was very hard worker & seem to grow sweeter with age! (At least from Sherrie’s point of view.)
She had a wonderful neighbor who rented their land, Donny Thorson. He helped Shirly out many times & she was very grateful for him! She also had a good friend (Bonnie) at nursing home. Which made things go smoother after George past! They would stay up late & talk the night away!
Shirly is survived by one sister, Joyce & Walter Entgelmeier of Olathe, Kansas. Her son: Allan &Sherrie Olson Of Osage, IA. & their 3 daughters: Lisa & Brian Thompson, & her 4 kids, of St. Ansgar, IA. Amy & Rod Collins & their 2 children of Rochester, MN, Kari-Monterrosa & 2 sons of Austin, MN. Her son: Craig & Irma (Lopez) Olson & family, & his daughter Emily Hartcopp & her 2 daughters of Mason City, IA. Her daughter: Karen Weil, & son, Tony of Liberty, MO, & daughter Chantel Weil of Phoenix, AZ & her 5 children.
Proceeding Shirly in death:her parents: Eddie & Minnie Martin, her siblings & their spouses: Fonda & Harvey Pals, Garold & Joanne Martin, Barbara & Pete Range. Her husband, George: in 2022. Son: Dale (died in car accident, at 23yrs. old) in 1989, (son-in-law) Dwayne Weil: in 2018.
Great-grandson: Brody Collins in 2018.
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