Kathy Susan Olson

Kathy Susan (Stafford) Olson, age 80, passed away the evening of October 30, 2026.

Kathy was born June 18, 1946, in Junction City, Kansas to Owen and Clara Etta Stafford. Her early years were spent swimming like a fish at her local pool where she eventually met her beloved husband, Darrell "Olie". They were married in 1967, in Minnesota and relocated to Colorado, where they had two children: Tracie and Chris. Kathy and Olie spent the majority of their lives in the Denver metropolitan area. Since 2023, Kathy lived in Yelm, WA.

Kathy was a warm and vibrant soul who brought wit and humor into every conversation. She made friends easily and never lost an opportunity to help someone. Her family all knew they could expect a phone call on their birthday from her, during which she would always sing Happy Birthday.

Kathy loyally attended her Episcopal Church for the majority of her life, up until she couldn't leave the house anymore.

She was a great lover and creator of art including literature, poetry, macrame, painting, and crocheting. Her other passion was perhaps diet soda and sweets. She could frequently be found playing solitaire, doing a crossword, or watching Dateline,

Kathy was a dedicated cat owner and her motto for pet ownership was, "Spoiled is the only way to have them (pets)."

She was meticulous about her appearance; her nails and hair were always perfectly maintained. People knew her to be someone with great style and taste. Kathy would have thought it hilarious that in her later years, she became addicted to the home shopping network buying some of the ugliest, most gaudy, jewelry you've ever seen. Perhaps Kathy's greatest asset was her lovely sense of humor. She never took anything too seriously.

Now that she's passed, we hope that she's looking down on us, knowing we all love and miss her dearly.

"Grief, I've learned, is really just love. It's all the love you want to give but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in the hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go." - Denise Wolfe

She is survived by her husband Darrell "Olie" Olson; children Tracie Snowden and Christopher Olson; grandchildren Clara Snowden, Chap (Rivi) Snowden, Faith Snowden, Rebekah Snowden, Joshua Snowden, Hadassah Snowden, Zoe Olson, Kalisea Olson, and Irene Olson; great-grandchildren Navy, Cyanne, Bleu, Nilah, and Truett Snowden and Ella Olson; brother Michael (Annette) Stafford; sister-in-law Marilyn (Bill) Matthes; and other nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Also, she is survived by her extremely well-fed cat, Fletch.

She is preceded in death by her parents; brother Patrick Stafford; brother-in-law Lowell Olson; sister and brother-in-law LaVonne and Harlan Berndt

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In Lieu of Flowers please donate to:

Jesus Name Pentecostal Church, Yelm, WA