Mrs. Susan W. Olson, of Tampa, FL, beloved spouse, mother, and grandmother, passed away on September 14, 2024 with family by her side at the age of 83. Susan was born to Louise and Norman Wheeler in Bristol, CT on May 23, 1941. She spent her early life in Connecticut, graduating from Canton High School and later receiving her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Connecticut in 1963. Shortly after receiving her nursing degree, while embracing the family spirit for travel and adventure, she and her nursing school friend Linda drove halfway across the country in Linda’s red Audi to Madison, Wisconsin where Susan had already been accepted for a RN position at the University Hospital.
It wasn’t long after getting settled and working in Madison that Susan met the love of her life, a dashing local medical student, Barry Olson. Susan and Barry married on August 7th, 1965, at the Collinsville Congregational Church in Connecticut. Susan joined Barry as an officer’s spouse for 10 years of active duty in the USAF, with stops in San Antonio, TX, Sacramento, CA and Biloxi, MS while starting a family with the arrivals of Chris, David, and Erika along the merry way. In addition to being an amazing mother, Susan also enjoyed her nursing teaching positions in Biloxi and San Antonio. This was followed by additional nursing roles in adult oncology, managing Barry’s office in Grinnell, and ophthalmology.
After the USAF, she settled with family in La Crescent, MN, then Grinnell, IA for eleven years, followed by wonderful stops in Omaha, NE, and the Lake of the Ozarks, MO, where she hosted countless family and friends for magical holiday gatherings, toasting beautiful sunsets, boating and skiing, and creating family memories that will last for generations.
Susan was an accomplished pianist, seamstress, master gardener, and hobby ornithologist. She kept her ever-present bird feeders filled, which attracted a remarkable variety of birds whose names and features she taught to her children. Her cooking skills were legendary, born of natural talents and numerous classes and cookbooks, throwing dinner parties and holiday feasts in grandeur. She and Barry loved to travel, and were able to see a remarkable amount of the world together, but if you asked, her favorite destination would always be the one she was visiting at the time. Susan was an avid reader, but perhaps her favorite was to read stories to her children and grandchildren, even bringing favorite stuffed animals to life to join in on the tales. Susan combined her love of the outdoors with her talent at golf, and can boast a witnessed “hole in one” that won her a case of champagne at her local Connecticut golf course. Unfortunately (or fortunately) she wasn’t old enough at the time to claim the prize.
Susan is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, Barry Olson; three children, Chris (Paula) Olson, David Olson, and Erika (Kevin) Boot; grandchildren, Hannah (Michael) Roney, April Olson, Truman Boot, Alex Olson, Wyatt Boot, Fletcher Olson, and Marion Boot; her brothers, Tom Wheeler and Bill (Anne) Wheeler. She was preceded in death by her parents Norman and Louise Wheeler, sister Nancy Lindgren, and brother, Norman Wheeler.
A celebration of life gathering will be held November 30th, 2024 at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, in West Des Moines, IA from noon to 3pm for family and friends. The family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimers Association https://www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate or UConn School of Nursing https://nursing.uconn.edu/info-for/donors in lieu of sending flowers.