Edmund David Olson was born Oct. 3, 1938 to Leonard and Minnie (Lohrbach) Olson on the family farm northeast of Walnut Grove, MN and died May 7, 2017. He was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church, graduated from Walnut Grove High School in 1956, served in the US Army, and attended Golden Valley Bible Collage. He graduated with honors from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN in 1964 and attended graduate school at the U of MN where he majored in entomology and botany while serving as State Extension Entomologist. He married Norma Irene Knutson of Silverton, Oregon in 1967. Following many years of teaching biology and pursuing hobbies of farming, gardening and beekeeping in Wyoming, MN he retired to the farm, homesteaded by his grandfather in 1872, where he was born.
Edmund was a lifelong scholar and teacher with an endless variety of interests. However, he had a special interest in grassland prairies and introduced the Nature Conservancy to some native prairie areas for preservation. He was currently working to establish native prairie to preserve natural habitat on his farm along Plum Creek. He believed in saving recreation areas as land develops and to that end he chaired his local park board and served on the Chisago County Park and Trail Foundation in establishing the Sunrise Prairie Trail and Swedish Immigrant Trail in Chisago County. An avid reader, he participated in “Tracy Reads” and belonged to the Tracy Library Book Club. He loved to reminisce about early days on the farm. Edmund loved his family and took great joy in keeping family holiday traditions.
He is survived by his wife, sons David Erik of Davis, CA and Brian Louis (Erin) of Andover, MN, grandsons Nicholas Paul Olson and Benjamin Brian Olson, brothers Larry (Judy) of Hatfield, MA and Dave (Carol) of Belfry, MT and sister Bonnie Pomerenke of Lakefield, MN.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Everett, Robert and Galen and by sisters Grace Shattuck and Genevieve Minor.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Walnut Grove on Saturday, August 12 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation one hour preceding the service.