Fay Joyce Olson

About Fay

Fay Joyce Olson, age 87, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center on Friday December 15, 2023.

Fay was born on May 27, 1936, at the home of her parents Alvin Marion and Ella May (Pratt) Baker in Bridgie Township, located west of Northome in Koochiching County, Minnesota.

Fay grew up in Northome and attended school there. On January 14, 1953, she would marry George Clayton Olson, Sr., at the Covenant Church in Northome. They had three children together; George, Cheryl and Twyla.

One of her accomplishments she was proud of was obtaining her GED in 1985 after taking classes at the Dakota County Technical Institute.

Fay would enter the workforce after primarily being a stay-at-home mom when they moved to Farmington in 1965, where she was employed at the Frederick Willys Pool Table Factory. From there she worked at Peerless Plastics in Farmington and later Brockway Glass in Rosemount, MN where she worked the swing shift for quite a few years until the plant closed and they moved their operation out of state. After the plant closed, Fay worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. She was employed there until she retired in 2001.

After retirement, she moved north to Blackduck, MN and resided there until September of 2022 when she moved to Bemidji to live with her daughter Twyla. The past year was a hard one for her and her family with Fay in and out of the hospital.

Fay loved to read and probably read most of the books in the Public Library of Blackduck, especially murder mysteries. During her leisure time, she loved to crochet Christmas trees and made sure to make an afghan for every new grandchild and great-grandchild that was born. In the last few years, she slowed down on the crocheting and finally stopped doing it all together.

Fay dearly loved her family and enjoyed visiting with them. She was quick to laugh and had a pretty good sense of humor. She was definitely the matriarch of the family and was looked up to by all of us. She will be sorely missed.

Fay is survived by a son, George (Karen) Olson, Jr. of Northome, a daughter Twyla Olson of Bemidji, a brother Kenneth (Sandra) Baker of Northome, two grandsons Blue Olson of Bemidji, MN, Troy Brule of Farmington, MN; five granddaughters, Kristen (Gary) Flow of Walker, MN, Trista (Dave) McCorkell of Shoreview, MN, Amanda (Jacob) Gersemehl of Bemidji, MN, Jamie (Matt) Dahlen Bemidji, MN and Alicia (Cory) Mueller of Laporte, MN., 18 great grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren, several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Fay was preceded in death by her parents Alvin and Ella Baker, a brother Robert Baker, two sisters Marian Baker and Myrna Lukenbill, her husband George Olson, Sr., a daughter Cheryl Brule and a granddaughter Stephanie Brule.

As we remember Fay, we celebrate a life well-lived, a love well-shared and a legacy that will continue to inspire for generations to come. She was a caring, gracious, compassionate, loving person and a loyal friend that many people looked up to, especially her family. She is a beacon of love and light that will guide us through the years to come and will forever live in our hearts.

memorial service

Celebration of Life will be held at a later date

Interment of the cremains will be at the Corinthian Cemetery in Farmington, Dakota County, Minnesota, next to her husband, daughter, and granddaughter.

Funeral/Cremation Provider: Cease Family Funeral Home