Joanne “Jo” Olson, 91, of Ottawa, passed away on Sunday, December 3, 2023 at OSF St. Anthony in Rockford.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 8, 2023 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa, IL with Rev. Seamus Enright, Pastor of First United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, at the funeral home.
Jo was born on September 12, 1932 in Ottawa to Oney and Irene (Wilkinson) Gorbett. She married Stan Olson on June 12, 1953 at the First United Methodist Church in Ottawa. She worked part time at US Title in Ottawa for several years. When her husband got sick, she devoted her time to be at Pleasant View to help care for him. Jo and Stan were avid bowlers and were in a league for several years. She also volunteered at OSF Hospital in Ottawa in the gift shop, where she loved making up packages, sometimes too pretty to open. Jo and Stan were big basketball fans as well and had season tickets to OTHS Basketball and even followed them to State. Those were the “Fun Times” for her. When warmer weather came, she always loved planting flowers in her yard and around the house. Her daughter told her that she missed her calling, and she should have worked at a flower shop. She always made such pretty arrangements. Jo will be deeply missed by her daughter and her three furry friends, cats; Mags, Marcus, and Max.
She is survived by her daughter, Kathy, sister-in-law, Mary Ann Olson, broth-in-law, Glenn Bornemann, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Stan; sister Gloria Duchala; nephews, John, Michael, Stephen, and Pat Duchala; sisters-in-law, Beryl Bornemann, Mildred Tripp Follmer, and Sara Olson; and brothers-in-law Herb Tripp, Jim Follmer, Don Olson, and Howard Olson.
Joanne was laid to rest at Oakwood Memorial Park in the Garden of the Last Supper.