Randi Olson

Randi passed onto her next journey on October 1, 2025, at Trinity Health in Minot, North Dakota.
She earlier wrote “please celebrate with me the joy of having had a beautiful and bounteous life. I love you all.” Her memorial service will be 2:00 pm, Friday, July 24 at Johnson Funeral Home in New London. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Oakhill Cemetery in New London. Arrangements are with Harvey Anderson & Johnson Funeral Home in New London. www.hafh.org

Randi was born August 10, 1943, in Starbuck, Minnesota, the fourth of five children of Arthur and R. Esther Nordberg. She lived on the family farm until the age of three, when they moved to New  London, Minnesota. She attended elementary and high school there, with the exception of 4-6 grades at District 98 country school. She was active in music, yearbook, sports, and drama at the high school and was a Luther League Leader at Trinity Lutheran Church where her parents were members. Graduating in 1961, Randi then attended Augsburg College and the Swedish Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis, graduating in 1964. She married Randall Olson and moved to California in February of 1966, after working a short time at the Northfield City Hospital and Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis.

In Bakersfield California, Randi worked at Mercy Hospital in pediatrics until moving to Salinas, CA, (1970) with the exception of a year in Flagstaff, AZ where she worked in obstetrics.
Salinas offered many part time positions including obstetrics, teaching parenting and health in the community as well as the womens jail and Boys Ranch. She trained Certified Nurses Aides and originated an Information and Developmental Toy Lending Library for home childcare providers. Her children Laura and Eddie were adopted in 1970 and 1973, so Randi spent alot of time enjoying parenting duties at home as well as Good Shepherd Lutheran, and their schools.
In 1990, Randi moved again, to Auburn, CA and with children now "out of the nest" she decided to return to college, obtaining a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and minor in Psychology. She was offered a position as supervisor of the Sierra College State Preschool and worked there, teaching children and mentoring the ECE students from the college for the next ten years, accomplishing a National Accreditation Award for the school. She and Randall divorced in 2002 after 38 years of marriage.
 

Randi retired from teaching in 2005 and was able to enjoy her grandchildren who lived in Sacramento and Washington state. She continued work as a Parish Nurse at Bethlehem Lutheran Church for several years. In June of 2018, she returned to Minnesota to live, be closer to her siblings and their families, enjoy watercolor painting, reading, nature walks and travel.
 

Surviving Randi are her children, Laura (Scott) Stevens of Waitsburg, WA, and Edward Olson of Sacramento; her brother, Curt (LuJean) Nordberg of Anoka; as well as six grandchildren; brother-in-law, Jerry Johnson of Blue Earth and sister-in-law, Nancy Nordberg of Brooklyn Park; nieces, nephews many grand nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were her parents; and sister, Rose and her husband, Virgil Chesness. She is further preceded in death by her siblings, Ruthy Johnson and Terry Nordberg.

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