Ann Marie Olson

Ann Marie (Nygard) Olson, 91, wife, mother, grandmother, church leader, and expert needlepointer passed away on March 17, 2026, at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

She was born on August 23, 1934, in St. Paul, MN. She was the only child of Blanche Hansen and Sidney Nygard. Both were raised in Hudson, WI and were living in St. Paul when Ann was born and where Sidney was employed as a salesman. When he went on the road, the family moved to Hudson. When Ann was 13, Sidney died unexpectedly while on a sales trip. Her mother, who had taught before getting married, returned to teaching and raised Ann as a single parent (with much support and love from aunts Meta Hansen and Lillian Devitt).

Ann graduated from Hudson High School in 1952 and attended what is now the University of Wisconsin at River Falls for 2 years. She then did clerical work in St. Paul and returned to River Falls in 1958 where she met Manley Olson. Ann and Manley were married at First Presbyterian Church of Hudson on December 26, 1959. They subsequently lived in several places in St. Paul and Wisconsin before finally settling in Falcon Heights where they lived for the next 41 years. They moved to downtown Minneapolis where they spent the next 12 years before relocating to Presbyterian Homes Eaglecrest in Roseville in early 2025.

They have two children, Mark, 58, whom they adopted in 1967 and Judy, 56, who came two years later. While Manley worked in education, Ann was a full-time parent, driver, den mother, Bible school teacher, election judge, master needleworker, and sometime typist. She typed several drafts of Manley’s 500-page PhD dissertation. Ann hosted the family Thanksgiving dinner for many years, serving 13-25 people and she always led the traditional afternoon of Trivial Pursuit.

Ann was an active member of North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville where she was an elder, choir member, and leader of various women’s groups. In addition to singing in the choir, she was a member of Global Harmony, a group that performed concerts to raise money for a variety of other groups. They also sang the National Anthem at a Lynx game. She was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women for her leadership. During her three terms on Session, she chaired several committees including stewardship, evangelism, membership, and education. She served the wider church as Commissioner to the Presbytery for 22 years. She was also a Synod Commissioner and a Commissioner to the General Assembly of the PC (USA). She served in leadership at all levels of Presbyterian Women. She was moderator of Presbyterian Women of both Presbytery and Synod and served in positions at the denominational level. After moving to Minneapolis, Ann and Manley joined Westminster Presbyterian where Ann was active in a variety of activities including several women’s groups.

She was also active in a variety of affiliated groups. She served on the leadership team of the Presbyterian Aids Network and edited their newsletter. She was a founding member of Voices of Sophia and served as its long-time treasurer. She was named Sister of the Year in 1990. In 2010, she and Manley jointly received the Murray Award from Presbyterian Voices for Justice for their justice advocacy.

In addition to being a wife, mother, and church leader, Ann was also an award-winning needlepointer. She was active in several groups, serving as President of the St. Paul Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild. She taught at several shops and worked as a professional finisher. She led workshops and demonstrated at the MN State Fair, where she also won several ribbons. Ann especially enjoyed needlepointing Christmas decorations, so much so that they needed two Christmas trees to display them all. Even in reduced space at Eaglecrest, Ann found creative ways to display her needlework.

Ann was an enthusiastic traveler. When the kids were young, the family tent camped in state parks in Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Black Hills, and Canada. Later, she and Manley took cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean, and the St. Lawrence River. In 2007, Ann and Judy visited Norway and Denmark and enjoyed seeing some of her family history. She attended 22 PC (USA) General Assemblies in all parts of the United States. She particularly loved going to PC(USA) conference centers at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico and Montreat in North Carolina. She also attended many meetings of Presbyterian Women, PHEWA, and other groups.

When the Hudson High School Class of 1952 decided to hold reunions, Ann was a leader in planning and organizing them.

For Ann’s 90th birthday in 2024, Mark, Judy, and Scarlett hosted a party for family and friends at the Lowell Inn in Stillwater - the same place where Ann and Manley spent their one-night honeymoon in 1959.

She was preceded in death by her parents and grandson, Samuel. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Manley, son Mark and granddaughter Scarlett of Bradenton, FL and daughter Judy and husband Charles of New York, NY.

A Celebration of Ann’s life will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 2 at 2:00PM. It may be viewed on Livestream at www.westminstermpls.org. A private burial will take place at Willow River Cemetery in Hudson, WI.

Memorials may be sent to the Nygard-Hansen Scholarship at

UWRF - www.uwrf.edu/university-advancement/giving

or Ghost Ranch Conference Center, Abiquiu NM - www.ghostranch.org