Keith Olson

Keith Allan Olson was born on June 8, 1930 in Minneapolis, Minnesota the son of Carl B. and Signe A. (Fondeen) Olson. Keith was raised in Minneapolis and became a 1949 graduate of Washburn High School in Minneapolis. Prior to graduation he was a messenger for the Citizens Defense Corps, and during the Minneapolis air raid drills of World War II in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America. Keith was united in marriage to Joan Peterson in 1955. Keith graduated from the Minneapolis school of Art with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954 and in 1963 the Dale Carnegie course. Keith served as a commercial artist in Minneapolis for 17 years, and then was an instructor at the Alexandria Technical College for 27 years. Most of his students acquired excellent professional employment including one student who is employed with the Disney Corporation. The students also designed the logo for the Alexandria Medical Clinic and the Douglas County Hospital. Many businesses and organizations utilized Keith’s professional ability. During his time of service he was also honored by Alexandria Technical College, as an honoree of the Care Connection. He also had many hobbies and interests, among them fishing, camping, gardening, the Minnesota Vikings, and also his tremendous toy train sets. Keith’s wife Joan died on March 24, 2003 in Alexandria. On July 23, 2005 he was united in marriage to Mary Lou Green in Alexandria. Mary Lou and Keith enjoyed living at the Windmill Ponds, including the various activities the Ponds offered.

At the age of 85, Keith died and went to heaven on Sunday, September 6, 2015 at the
Knute Nelson Subacute Unit. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Joan Olson and his second wife, Mary Lou Olson. He is survived by his sons, Keith David (Lisa) Olson, Michael Frank (Jamie) Olson, Mark Allan (Kay) Olson, Peter (Kirsten) Olson, and Toby Olson; daughters, Kimberly (Jonathan) Meyer, and Mia (Frank Dietrich) Olson; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A funeral service will take place this Friday, September 11, 2015 at 1:00 PM at First Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Minnesota. A visitation will take place on Thursday, September 10, 2015 from 4:00PM to 7:00 PM, at the Anderson Funeral Home. A visitation will also take place one hour prior to funeral service at the church the day of the service. Interment will take place at Carlos Prairie Cemetery, Carlos, MN.