Gladys L. Olson

Gladys L. (Hope) Olson, 99, died on Saturday, February 27, 2016, at the Hancock Memorial Hospital in Britt, Iowa under hospice care.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, March 1, 2016, at Pilot Knob Lutheran Church with Rev. Robert Snitzer officiating.

Visitation will be held 9:30 A.M. till the time of the service on Tuesday at the church.

Burial will be in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hospice of North Iowa or Pilot Knob Lutheran Church.

Gladys Lois Hope was born in rural Woden, Iowa on October 9, 1916, the daughter of Oscar and Ingeborg (Sandsmark) Hope. She was the second child and first daughter of her immigrant Norwegian parents and only of their children given the opportunity to attend high school by staying with her aunt and uncle. She graduated from Story City High School in 1934 with a teacher’s certificate to teach in country school; ranking in the top four in her class of 40.

She married Wilbur Olson on October 23, 1937, in Trenton, MO. They farmed the family homestead most of their lives. Gladys was very involved in Pilot Knob Lutheran Church on committees and serving as a Sunday school teacher. She also served on the Hancock Co. 4-H Extension Council and taught her daughters and granddaughters to sew when they were in 4-H.
Gladys and Wilbur loved to travel with visits to all 50 states, a trip to Germany and Israel as well as several trips to visit her mother’s sister and her cousins in Norway. She and Wilbur also lived in Benson, AZ, every winter for 27 years. In 1992, Gladys and Wilbur left the family farm to live in Forest City. In 2006, the couple moved to Forest Plaza Assisted Living where she remained when Wilbur died in November 2007.
Gladys cherished time with friends and fellow residents, watching her favorite game shows, and solving word puzzles at Forest Plaza until November 2013 when she moved to Good Samaritan Center, Forest City. In her time at Good Sam, she’ll be remembered for her love of chocolate covered raisins and enjoying daily visits from her family.

Gladys is survived by her children, Patricia (Dennis) Hagen of Forest City; Phyllis Olson of Urbandale; and Robert A. Olson of Forest City; brother, George Hope, of Ogden, IA and a sister-in-law, Irmalee Olson, of Inverness, FL. She is also survived by six grandchildren, Pamela (William J.) Madsen of Maplewood, MN; Deborah (Greg) Geddes of Sioux Falls, SD; Denise (Brad) Yeager of Forest City; Joleen Olson-Pfile of Freeport, IL; Sam (Kylie) Pfile of Westfield, IN; and Sara Olson of West Des Moines, IA. Gladys was very proud of her five great grandchildren, Quinten Geddes of Minneapolis, MN; Christian Geddes of Rochester, MN; Alexandra Geddes of Grand Forks, ND; and Austin and Elsa Yeager of Forest City. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, brothers, Art, Ed, Clarence, Obed, Stanley, and infant George and her sisters, Clara and Judy.