Peter Martin Olson, age 83 of Cedar, died May 7, 2024 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. A funeral service will be held at 1:30 P.M. on Monday, May 13th at Oak Haven Church, 1555 Constance Blvd NE, Ham Lake, MN. A time for visiting will be held from noon-1:30 at the church. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, May 14th, at Karlsborg Cemetery in Webster, WI.
Peter Martin Olson entered the presence of his Lord and Savior on Tuesday morning, May 7, 2024.He was born June 18, 1940, in Frederic, WI to Ralph and Pauline (Gustafson) Olson. As the eldest of thirteen children, Peter was given the responsibility of being the example for his siblings. The young family made several moves between 1941-51 in northwestern WI and northcentral MN. Eventually, the Olson family settled, and Peter was raised, near his grandparents’ homestead in the Karlsborg area by Webster, WI. Peter spent a great deal of time on the farm with his maternal grandmother and Uncle Anton. He enjoyed helping in the kitchen baking. To this day, you would regularly find him in the kitchen baking treats to satisfy his sweet tooth.
Peter graduated from Grantsburg High School in 1958. In 1959, Peter’s 10-year-old brother, Christy, required open heart surgery. Thanks to Peter sharing his matching blood type, the surgery was successful. After working for a couple years in Grantsburg, he enlisted in the United States Air Force serving from 1962-1966 in Mountain Home, Idaho. While serving in the Air Force, Peter met Sargeant Loren Collins who became his spiritual mentor and lifelong friend. After his discharge, Peter moved to the Minneapolis area where he began a 32+ year career with US-West (Qwest) retiring in 2001 following open heart surgery.
On November 28, 1969, Peter married Diana Christian in Grantsburg, WI. They made their home in the north metro area where they welcomed their son Carey Jonathan on May 9, 1979.
Peter was a man of deep faith. He loved reading the Bible which was his source of strength and comfort. He was an active member of Oak Haven (Ham Lake Baptist) Church for 53 years where he served in many capacities. He especially loved working with the young boys in Christian Service Brigade helping them build a firm foundation in Christ.
Peter enjoyed: coaching youth baseball, talking sports, following the Milwaukee Braves and Green Bay Packers, the outdoors, music, reading & baking.
Peter was preceded in death by parents, Ralph & Pauline; siblings, Louise, Lenore, Donald, Christy, Jerry & Marvin; brothers-in-law, Don Swenson & Willie Oberg and nephew, Kyle Christian. He is survived by his loving wife, Diana; son, Carey; siblings, Darrell (Jan), Rich (Janice), Ann Swenson, Jim (Marsha), Barbara, & Shirley (Ben) Koerper; sister-in-law, Bonnie Olson; Brothers-in-law, Allen McKinley, Jon (Susan) Christian, David (Carolyn) Christian, Joe (Martha) Christian and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
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