Kenneth Lee Olson

Kenneth Lee Olson was a loving, stoic husband and father, always supportive of his family. At the age of 70, Ken passed away, after a long struggle with his health. When he passed he was at home with his family by his side. Ken chose to donate his body for research to the University of Iowa in hopes he can help those in the medical profession better understand the human body and learn from his various conditions. The family will eventually bury his ashes in the Lower York Cemetery, Thomson, Illinois.

Kenneth was born August 1, 1951, the son of Harold Clifford and Ruth Evelyn (Bush) Olson. He was born vision-impaired and had to manage that his entire life. Ken attended Clinton High School with the Class of 1968. He always walked, or rode a bicycle. Ken has only driven a car once in his life, and that was so he wouldn’t miss work.

On July 16, 1981, Ken married Loretta Jean Horton. They raised three children, Jesse, Dawn and Jeff, and celebrated 34 years of marriage, until Loretta’s passing in 2015. Ken and Loretta were made for each other. They did everything together and especially enjoyed fishing, playing cards and visiting relatives in Arizona. He also enjoyed spending time with friends and family, playing computer games, facebook, and watching westerns. He always helped others. He mostly enjoyed listening to the oldies, and it gave him freedom to communicate on the Ham radio and his CB radio, his handle- Crazy Cooter. Ken loved his dogs, Pepper and Remington.

Ken worked 35 years at Drives in Fulton as a Press Operator. He loved his job and enjoyed his co-workers. He worked hard to become computer certified and program machines. In 1984, Ken had an aortic valve replacement. In 2004, he suffered a traumatic brain injury from a fall. He underwent brain surgery and experienced several small strokes. Ken was left physically disabled. Despite all of this, Ken continued to have a bright outlook on life and was always full of cheerfulness. Some of the best relationships in his life included his good friend and neighbor Gerald Carr, his sister-in-law and caregiver, Cindy Atwater, and his good friend and caregiver, Burton Van Zuiden.

Ken will be dearly missed by his children, Jesse (Bre-Anne) Olson of Camanche, Dawn (Gary) Firrell of Camanche and Jeff (Brandi) Mitchell of Canton, Illinois; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and a sister, Sharyn (Hank) Sheffer of Apache Junction, Arizona. He is preceded in death by his wife, Loretta, both parents, and a brother Warren Dale Olson, along with several in-laws and grandparents.