Stanley Norris Olson

Stanley Norris Olson, child of God, died suddenly on Friday afternoon, September 12, 2025. He was 79. In death, as in life, he is surrounded by the love of his family and a vast community. Stan was born March 17, 1946 in Fort Dodge, Iowa and grew up in Eagle Grove, IA. He was baptized on April 14, 1946 at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eagle Grove. His parents, Norris Delmar Olson and Joyce Dorthy (Narland) Olson raised their four children to lives of joy, abundant love, and care for others. Faith and learning were family priorities, and they set Stan on a lifelong path of service to God and neighbor. He began his education in a one room school-house-Pine View School-across the road from his family farm and then graduated from Eagle Grove High School. After attending Waldorf College (A.A. 1966) and St. Olaf College (B.A. 1968), Stan went to Luther Seminary for his M.Div (1972) and then to Yale University, where he earned his Ph.D in New Testament in 1976. In his ministry as a parish pastor in Duluth and New Ulm, Minnesota; as a teacher at Luther Seminary; as bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); as Executive Director for Vocation and Education in the ELCA; as President of Wartburg Seminary; as Interim President of Trinity Seminary in Columbus, OH; and, in retirement, as an active member of Grace University Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Stan was always a leader with a servant's heart. He built relationships, listened deeply, and reminded those around him of the goodness and kindness of God. Whatever his role--colleague, mentor, spouse, parent, grandparent, and friend--he strove to begin always with grace, and he lived unfailingly his confidence, from Romans 8, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. For 54 wonderful years, Stan shared his life with Nancy Lee (Stuckey) Olson. They met in Suitland, Maryland in 1971, when Stan was a pastoral intern and Nancy the music director. They rapidly fell into a love that sustained them through the years. They were partners in life and often in ministry, caring for their communities, their family, and the world. Together, he and Nancy raised two daughters with great love, teaching them the value of community, faith, kindness, integrity, and curiosity about the world. He instilled in them an abiding delight in words and stories and a begrudging appreciation for terrible puns. Stan and Nancy taught their children and grandchildren to love the outdoors and to notice beauty. The lakes, rocks, and pines of northern Minnesota became a defining family place. At home, Stan and Nancy walked together almost every day, watching eagles soaring over the river and birds at the backyard feeders, witnessing the changing seasons. As he wrote, "We've had a fantastic life together." True to his Iowa farm boy roots, Stan loved to build and repair things and work with wood; and he took great joy in his garden and house plants. His appreciation for the natural world and his creative spirit led him to watercolor painting, poetry, and pen and ink drawing. He was his daughters' first and best writing teacher and their life-long guide on matters personal, professional, and practical. In addition to his beloved wife, Stan is survived by his daughters Maren Olson (Jamie McBride) and Christa Olson (Anna Henning) and grandchildren Finnegan, Freya, Ian, and Sila. He is also survived by his siblings Carmen Peter, Julia Wentz (Chris Simoni), and Kent Olson (Linda), his brother-in-law Richard Stuckey, and cherished nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, his aunts and uncles, his brothers-in-law John Wentz and Leonard Peter, his sister-in-law Rusty Stuckey, and his cousins Erik Budd, Eloise (Olson) Cohen, Gary Kist, Mike Kist, and Mark Madson. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Grace University Lutheran, Luther Seminary, Wartburg Seminary, or Lutheran World Relief. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 20th, at 1 PM, at Central Lutheran Church, 333 South 12th Street, Minneapolis MN with visitation at 12 noon.