Evelyn May Olson

Evelyn May Olson of Rush City passed away at her home in Rush City on Monday, September 1st at the age of 92. Evelyn was born to Harry and Marie (Iverson) Opstad in Southeast Minneapolis on June 27, 1922. She graduated from South High School and then went to work as a bookkeeper for Twin City Tea Company. During the next ten years she also worked for Grant Storage Battery Co. and W.H. Barber Co. It was at Barber where she met Ray, and they were married in Minneapolis at the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church on March 31, 1951. During their first three years of marriage, they lived on both coasts because Ray was in the Navy. However, in the mid fifties they built their home in Minnetonka where they raised Paula and Craig. After Ray’s death, Evelyn continued living there until November of 2010, and then she moved to Rush City to be closer to Paula and Gene. Throughout her life, Evelyn had many interests. In high school she played basketball through the Girls Recreation Association. She was an active lifetime member of the Sons of Norway Vonheim Lodge #1-108. Evelyn and Ray were on golf leagues, bowling teams and they also enjoyed traveling. Their Norwegian pastimes included cross-country skiing and long blade skating. As a homemaker she sewed many outfits for Paula and herself and was an excellent cook and baker. She also found time to collect stamps, coins and do ceramics. Evelyn was proud of her Norwegian heritage. At her South High School graduation she received an honor award for outstanding work in scholarship and service in Norse studies from the Sons of Norway. Learning Norwegian in high school proved to be beneficial when she, Paula and Craig went with Ray to Norway for several weeks in 1961, and she was the interpreter. She had a love of Scandinavian food, and during the year she baked several traditional treats: julekake, lefse, kransekake, krumkake, sandbakkels, fattigmann, rosettes, berlinerkranser and many more. Upper Cullen Lake outside of Nisswa, Minnesota, was a summer destination for a major portion of Evelyn’s life. Her parents would take their family to a resort there for summer vacations, a tradition that continued with her mother Marie and Evelyn’s and Hellen’s families. In 1959, Evelyn and Ray had the opportunity to purchase property on Upper Cullen Lake, and by the mid sixties they had built a cabin there. During all of those summers, Evelyn enjoyed camping, picking blueberries, fishing, playing cards and forming many lifetime friendships. When she moved to Rush City, she continued playing cards with a new group of friends whom she truly appreciated. She also enjoyed attending athletic events and plays at the high school. Evelyn is survived by her daughter Paula Bengtson and her husband Gene of Rush City, grandchildren: Craig Bengtson of Carrollton, TX, Kevin Bengtson of Nisswa, Astridita of Minneapolis; sister Hellen Opsahl of Richfield, many nieces and nephews, sisters-in-law: Dora (Duane) Birkeland of Sherwood, OR, Metta McDowell of New Rockford, ND, Elaine Olson of Chelan, WA. Evelyn is preceded in death by her parents Harry & Marie Opstad, husband Ray, son Craig, and her brother Earl (Lorraine) Opstad. Reverend Laurie O'Shea will officiate Evelyn's funeral service at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 6, 2014 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rush City. Visitation and reviewal will be held one hour prior to the service also at the church. The interment for Evelyn Olson will take place in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis; 10:00 am on Monday (9/8/14). We will meet at assembly area #1 inside the cemetery by 9:50 a.m. Monday. Memorials may be directed to: First Evangelical Lutheran Church Building Fund, Fairview Hospice or a charity of donors choice. Funeral arrangements for Mrs. Evelyn Olson of Rush City are entrusted to the: Funeral and Cremation Service of Rush City -Olson Chapel. www.funeralandcremationservice.com