Karen Ann Olson

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Olson, Karen Ann April 22, 1943 - August 12, 2010 A third-generation San Franciscan, Karen Ann Olson (nee Kessler) was born in Oakland, California, April 22, 1943, and raised in nearby Piedmont. She attended the University of Oregon and San Jose State Universities, graduating with degrees in Sociology and Criminology. Karen had a keen mind for finance and became the first female Trust Officer at Wells Fargo, where she managed trust funds. A vivacious bachelorette who loved music and dancing, Karen lived in San Francisco during the late 1960s-the halcyon days of great rock bands and social change - where she moved effortlessly between evenings at the Opera, gala balls at the St. Francis Hotel and weekends at the Filmore West, where Janice Joplin and Creedence Clearwater performed. She married Dr. Robert Olson, a Naval Officer, in 1972 and gave up her modest prominence in San Francisco society (a former debutante and Board Member of the Spinsters of San Francisco) to move to Minnesota, where she took to the Midwestern lifestyle with alacrity. Karen had few equals as a homemaker, gourmet cook, mother and community volunteer. She read to children at school, assisted and directed innumerable school/parent activities, sewed custom-designed warm-up capes for the ski team, taught art appreciation to grade school classes, and was the "go to" person for most activities she undertook. Karen was a jack-of-all-trades around the house, fixing most plumbing and electrical problems and even pouring her own concrete to repair cracked sidewalk steps. Most neighbors gave her their house keys, and children (and adults) who were locked out knew right where to go. She looked after homes when people were gone, walked their dogs and drove people where they needed to go - and she did it all seemingly without effort. When beset by a devastating debilitating illness, she approached it with characteristic determination and unflinching courage. She never complained. Even in the last stages of life she found contentment in the simplest of things-and managed to give joy to others. There will never be another like her. She is survived by her husband, Bob; daughters Maggie and Krista; and sister Gigi. Memorial Service date to be determined. Memorials to Mt. Olivet Church Adult Day Care or the charity of your choice.

Published on August 15, 2010