Conway Gilbert Olson, age 88 of Cottage Grove, passed away July 4, 2018.
Memorial service will be 11 am, Thursday, July 12, 2018 at All Saint’s Lutheran Church, 8100 Belden Blvd S. Cottage Grove with visitation at the church one hour prior. Interment will be in the Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to the Friends In Need Food Shelf in St. Paul Park or The Nature Conservancy (
www.nature.org
).
Conway was born March 12, 1930 in Rapid City, South Dakota to Oliver and Mabel (Munson) Olson. He grew up in Rapid City where he graduated from high school in 1948 and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in business from Macalester College. It was there he met the love of his life, Katherine “Katie” Merrill. He entered active duty in the US Air Force shortly after graduation and the following year, Conway and Katie were married on February 7, 1953. After his honorable discharge he started working for St. Paul Fire and Marine where he started his path in the insurance field. Conway’s interests in municipalities peaked and he played a critical role in getting the city of Cottage Grove incorporated in the mid 1960’s. He was a proud supporter of Cottage Grove and an active member of the city council for many years.
Conway enjoyed spending time outdoors whether it was camping, biking, cross country skiing, hiking or anything that kept him active. He was committed to charitable organizations and enjoyed promoting and supporting them. After his retirement in 1997 from T.C. Field and Company he continued to stay busy in a variety of activities including civic organizations, teaching driving classes, assisting people with their taxes at the senior center and expanded his love of outdoor activities. Conway was a voracious reader through the years and in his later years was found deep into his Kindle which he always kept nearby.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Katie; children David, Peggy (Steve) Sommers, Ted (Rev. Christine Bellefeuille); grandchildren Katie (Patrick) King, Jeanna (Jim) Hayes, Maggie Olson, Eliot B Joy and Sam; two great-grandchildren “on the way”; siblings Barb Dalgarn and Donald Olson. He is preceded in death by his parents and an infant son, Paul Merrill Olson.
