Yvonne Olson

Yvonne Helen (Raatz) Olson, 78 of Elbow Lake, MN passed into the arms of her Savior on December 5, 2020.

Yvonne was born on May 9, 1942 to Adrian and Helen (Fritz) Raatz on a farm southwest of Evansville. When Yvonne was 5 years old, she and her family moved to a farm west of Evansville where Yvonne attended the Evansville Public School from kindergarten to twelfth grade. After graduating from high school in 1960, Yvonne worked at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Alexandria, Minnesota. In 1962, she married her childhood sweetheart, Bruce Olson. This year they celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary together. Early in their marriage, they lived in St. Paul, St. Cloud, Duluth, and White Bear Lake, Minnesota. They also lived in Oregon for five years before returning to White Bear Lake where they resided until retirement in 1996.

Family life was very important to Yvonne. She loved being a homemaker to her children and husband. Wherever they lived Yvonne would make friends with the neighbors and welcome all to their home. She enjoyed baking, cleaning and taking care of her family. As her children left home for college, Yvonne returned to work, first as a home-health aide and then as an ESL teacher.

Following retirement, Yvonne and her husband spent the better part of ten years serving as missionaries in China. Her passion was to pray for others and share the gospel with them. Since returning from China, Yvonne has made her home on Pomme de Terre Lake near Elbow Lake, Minnesota, close to the farm she grew up on, while winters in mesa, Arizona. She filled her time as a volunteer worker at thrift stores and as an ESL teacher at Calvary Free Lutheran in Mesa. Yvonne will be remembered as a loving wife, mother and grandmother. Her influence as a true prayer warrior will also be missed in the lives of her loved ones.

Yvonne is survived by her husband, Bruce, brother-in-law, Norman Evavold, brother-in-law, Roger (Janet) Olson, brother-in-law, Mark (Diane) Olson, daughter Lynn (George) O’Connor, son Steven Olson, daughter, Jill (Peter) Tan-Gatue and grandchildren, Rachel O’Connor, Cecilia Tan-Gatue, Pedro Tan-Gatue and Aquene Tan-Gatue. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Yvonne was preceded in death by her parents Adrian and Helen Raatz, sister Eunice Evavold, brother Robert Raatz, sister-in-law Marilyn Olson and nephews Kelly McGinn and Kemuel McGinn.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00PM, Saturday, December 19, 2020 at Bethlehem/West Elbow Lake Church, Elbow Lake.

The service will be livestreamed at www.EricksonSmithFH.com at 2:00PM.

Flowers may be ordered from Water Drop Flower Shop at 218.948.2360