Mary Olson

Mary Olson, age 79, of Aurora, died Friday night, July 18, 2003, at Memorial Hospital in Aurora.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, July 22nd at the United Methodist Church in Phillips. Rev. Nora Leeds will officiate. Interment will be in the Phillips Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 P.M. Monday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary. The family will greet friends from 6 - 8 P.M. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: MARY OLSON

Mary Alice Olson, the daughter of John and Lora (Skipper) Thompson, was born in Putnam County, Missouri on October 20, 1923 and died in Aurora, Nebraska on July 18, 2003, at the age of 79.

She graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, Missouri in 1941. Mary lived in Des Moines, Iowa and Maryville, Missouri before moving to Grand Island, Nebraska to work as a mechanical draftsman during WWII. While in Grand Island she attended Business College and then worked for the Donald Company.

On November 16, 1951 she married Donald H. Olson in Grand Island. They spent their entire married life on a farm near Phillips, Nebraska. Donald passed away on October 2, 1990.

Mary enjoyed raising her children, sewing and gardening while on the farm. She was very active in the Phillips and Aurora Senior Citizen groups, where she enjoyed the fellowship, quilting and playing cards. She was a member of the Phillips United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday School and was active in UMW. Mary was a Cub Scout Leader and was a member of the BB Extension Club. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Mary was a member and Past Matron of the Phillips Chapter of Eastern Star #204.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Don, son, Ben and great-grandson, Carson Neville.

Those left to cherish her memory are her four children, Pam (Mrs. Doug) Wacker, Carol (Mrs. Ken) Vincik, John and Deb Olson, Tom and Betty Olson and Julie Olson. She is also survived by a brother, Bob and Shirley Thompson of St. Paul, sister, Frankie (Mrs. John) Wetzel of Independence, Oregon, a brother-in-law, Ralph Olson, sisters-in-law, Esther Cornelius and Erma Bergholz and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Betty and Bob Mabon. She is lovingly remembered by 17 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and friends.