The family of Judy Olson is sad to announce her passing on Friday, December 3rd, 2021 at Birchwood Cottages in North Mankato. She was 79 years old with 45 of those years as a Mankato resident.
Judy was born on May 11th, 1942 in Estherville, Iowa to parents Melvin and Verna Bratrud and grew up on a farm in Ringsted, Iowa. She enjoyed being the youngest of four siblings and would talk often about happy memories of playing with kittens, piglets, climbing trees and being a “stinker” to her older siblings while adoring them at the same time. Her career choice came to light when getting her tonsils out as a child and she dreamed of being “one of the nurses in the white dress and cap and taking care of people”. After graduating from Ringsted High School in 1960, she moved to St. Paul to attend Bethesda Lutheran Nursing School. Upon completing her LPN education, she worked at the hospital in Fairmont, MN. Little did she know that one of her patients would introduce Judy to her son who was coming home from the Navy and the rest, they say, is history. On August 20, 1965, she married Rodney Olson and together they raised two daughters, Deb and Michelle. After moving to Mankato in 1976, she continued her nursing career which included working at the Mankato House Nursing Home and a private practice physician’s office before ending her 30 year career at the Mankato Clinic.
At just short 4’ 10” tall, Judy always had a presence and to say she was a chatty lady would be an understatement. She loved to talk with friends and family on the phone, over lunch and most recently embraced technology with texting and Facebook. Her two grandchildren knew that when Grandma called, it wasn’t going to be a short conversation and they needed to get comfortable for the duration. As much as she was a talker, Judy continued to use her nursing skills well after retirement by being a compassionate listener and willing to help anyone in need. She shared a bit of the “chatty” gene with her daughters but generously passed down her love of shopping and sleeping in on the weekends as well.
Judy will be greatly missed by her surviving daughters, Deb (Steve) Dahl of Lakeville and Michelle (Dave) Herzberg of Hanover; grandchildren, Ava and Isaak Herzberg of Hanover; older brother Allen Bratrud of Jackson and many more family members. She celebrated her heavenly reunion with her husband Rodney, parents Melvin and Verna Bratrud, sisters Donna Olsen and Marlys Macomber and many extended family members.
Family and friends are invited to say their final goodbye to Judy at her Celebration of Life gathering on February 5th, 2022 from 1-3pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Mankato, MN. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Stroke Association at www.stroke.org or St. Croix Hospice of Mankato.