Clarence 'Ted' Olson, 71

Clarence "Ted" Olson, age 71, died Sunday, April 29, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis surrounded by his family.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Thursday, May 3, at the Church of St. Rita, 8694 80th St. S., Cottage Grove. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, at the Kok Funeral Home, 7676 80th St. S., Cottage Grove, and also 1 hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be in the Cottage Grove Cemetery.

Clarence Theodore "Ted" Olson was born Feb. 21, 1941, in Eau Claire, Wis., to Christian and Anna (Chartrand) Olson. He was a graduate of Regis High School in Eau Claire in 1959. Ted met the love of his life, Edythe "Edie" Stratton, and they were united in marriage on June 4, 1960, in Eau Claire. They moved to St. Paul where he was employed at Strauss Knitting Mills as a maintenance mechanic. He was also employed at Midwest Plastics, Fisher Nut Company, and Target Direct, also working as a maintenance mechanic. They lived in the St. Paul Park/Cottage Grove area since 1968.

Ted enjoyed deer hunting, woodworking, and teaching his kids and grandkids the finer points of cribbage. He had the gift of being able to fix just about anything and was always willing to help others whenever he could. He and the family also enjoyed many annual vacations in their pop-up camper. Ted was a Vikings fan, and recently he and Edie started enjoying the winter months in Arizona.

He is survived by his wife, Edythe "Edie"; daughters, Susan (Mark) Nord, Pamela (Mark) Evert, Sheri (Sam) Kirk, Julie (Jody) Nathe; grandchildren, Jason (Pam) Nord, Angela Harvey, Daylon and Connor Evert, CJ (Heather) Olson, Ashley Booher, Dalton Hauer, and Carson Nathe; great-grandchildren, Maddy, Gabby, Landon, Lilly, Gavin, Payton, and Arianna; siblings, John (Joyce) Olson, Lucy (Donald) Walker, Gerald (Bonnie) Olson, Maryann (Roger) Biesterveld; brother-in-law, William Luedtke; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Christian and Anna; stepfathers, John Aubert and George Cole; sister Patricia Luedtke; and niece Kristeen Barbeau.

Ted will be missed greatly by his family and many, many friends.

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