Gary Peter Olson

December 31, 1938 – August 21, 2025
Gary Peter Olson, age 86, of Otsego, MN, passed away peacefully at home on August 21, 2025, with his beloved wife, Cindy, by his side.
Gary was born in Fargo, ND, on December 31, 1938, and was adopted by Lloyd and Elizabeth (Westad) Olson at the age of 22 months. He attended schools in Esmond and Rich Valley Township, graduating from high school in Maddock in 1956. After graduation, he worked on the family farm for four years. During that time, he was a custom sheep shearer with his cousin, Gene, for several seasons.
In February 1960, he joined the U.S. Army and served in the paratroops. He was selected as Soldier of the Month for January 1961, representing approximately 700 men of the 101st Airborne Division Artillery at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
He later attended and graduated from Valley City State College, then taught mathematics in Milwaukee, WI, for five years before spending a year and summer at NDSU in Fargo, ND. He went on to teach at several high schools in the Osseo, MN, school district for 30 years until his retirement in 2000. Beginning in 1991, he also taught part time at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, MN, and after 2000, continued part and full time until December 2010.
In 1979, he married Julie Pearson, and with this marriage came Karen Booth. Together they had two sons: Mike and Eric. They later divorced. In 1993, he married Cindy Lee Walsh, and with this marriage came Jared Walsh.
Gary was an avid genealogist, researching and compiling over 163,000 names of relatives, living and deceased, from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the United States.
He is survived by his wife, Cindy; daughter Karen Olson (Jim Morehead) of Siren, WI; sons Michael (Karla) Olson of Otsego, MN, Eric Olson (Melanie Hill) of Lehi, UT, and Jared Walsh of Maple Grove, MN. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren, his brother, Bruce, of Alexandria, MN; and half-sisters Diane Anderson and Bonnie Graham of Washington.
He was preceded in death by his parents; half-brother, Lloyd Welch; and mother- and father-in-law, Audrey and Donald Walsh.
Services will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Otsego, MN, on Thursday, August 28 at 9:30 a.m. (9474 Naber Ave NE). Visitation will begin at 8 a.m.
Burial will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN.