Gertrude Muriel “Trudy” Olson (née Kolstad), age 93, passed away peacefully on February 2, 2026, in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

A private funeral service was held on February 6th in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Memorials may be made in Trudy's name to ELCA World Hunger, a global mission near and dear to her heart.

She was born on May 14, 1932, in Lanesboro, Minnesota, to Eugene Bernhard “Ben” and Mabel Josephine Kolstad.

Trudy grew up on the Kolstad family farm on the Root River in the countryside of Lanesboro until the family moved into town when she started high school. She graduated from Lanesboro High School in 1950 and studied at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, graduating in 1954 with majors in English and Music Education. A lifelong lover of music, she sang soprano in the Luther College Nordic Choir, played flute in concert band, and was an excellent pianist and accompanist.

Following college, Trudy taught high school English in Glenwood City, Wisconsin, and then freshman English at Luther College. On August 21, 1959, she married O. Rolf Olson, who was ordained into the Lutheran Ministry in February 1960. Later that year, Trudy and Rolf moved to Mindoro, Wisconsin, driving their 1939 Buick to Rolf’s first pastoral call at the Mindoro–Lewis Valley Lutheran parish churches. Their first two children, Ruth and Eric, were born during their years in Mindoro.

In 1967, the family moved into a rural parsonage near the crossroads hamlet of Keyeser, Wisconsin, where Rolf began serving as pastor of Spring Prairie Lutheran Church in Keyeser and Morrisonville Evangelical Lutheran Church in Morrisonville. During their early years there, their family grew with the arrival of two more children, Esther and Peter.

Trudy devoted herself fully to her family as a stay-at-home mother, a role she embraced with love and dedication. The family also welcomed a beloved dog, Snowball, who was very much part of the family. Summer vacations were usually spent at the family’s rustic one-room cabin with screened porch overlooking the clear, spring-fed Kabekona Lake in northern Minnesota, a place of lasting family memories that Trudy and Rolf had built together on a limited budget in 1964.

Trudy was deeply involved in church life, particularly with Spring Prairie Ladies’ Aid, quilting for Lutheran World Relief, and serving for several years as choir director at the Morrisonville church. After all four children left home—each having attended Luther College—Trudy served for several years as parish church secretary.

Trudy and Rolf retired in 2003 and moved to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where they became active members of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. During retirement, they enjoyed more time for reading, morning and afternoon tea, socializing with friends, time at the cabin, trips to Luther College events, and travel abroad to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and France.

In 2022, Trudy and Rolf moved to Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, residing at Tradition Assisted Living, where they were close to family. When preparing for the move at age 90, one of Trudy’s first concerns was which books to take from their large home library. Once there, Trudy also enjoyed reading the New Yorker magazine, having received a subscription as a gift.

Trudy was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who will forever be in her family members’ hearts. Her life was rooted in Christian faith, her dear family, and continued learning. She loved her husband and family, the Lutheran Church, Luther College, reading, traditional Lutheran hymns, and classical music. Her caring and loving manner, gentle strength, and steadfast devotion will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Rev. O. Rolf Olson of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota; her children Ruth of New York, New York; Eric (Virginie) and grandson Luc of New York, New York; Esther of New Brighton, Minnesota; and Peter (Anne) of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota; and Anne’s daughters Alysse (Gabe) of Lafayette, Colorado, and Beth (Ben) of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene Bernhard “Ben” Kolstad and Mabel Josephine (Tungland) Kolstad.