Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Mary E. (Topping) Olson, 89, Noxon MT. passed away at Bridge Haven Memory Care in Lawrence, KS on June 19, 2012. Memorial services and inurnment will be at 11:00 a.m. July 3 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence, with Chaplain Wilton Detweiler, Grace Hospice officiating.
Mary was born December 16, 1922, the eldest of four children to Charles R. and Kathleen (O’Brien) Topping. She attended Kanwaka Grade School, Lawrence Memorial High School and Kansas State University.
On March 11, 1969 Mary and Richard L. Olson married in Lawrence. After enjoying farm life for several years, while both continued to work for the Internal Revenue Service, they moved to Noxon, Montana in 1974. They built a new home and after retirement, were very active in the community.
Mary was one of the original members of the Sanders County Rocky Ridge Saddle Club in Noxon, and was voted Grand Marshall in 2004. Mary served on the Noxon school board for several years and had the opportunity of working with students in gardening activities, teaching them about mechanical equipment, canning and preserving garden produce. She assisted 4-H members with many sewing projects. For many years, she hosted spring and fall “vet days” at her small farm where vets from Pend O’Reille Vet Clinic provided medical care for large and small animals in the Noxon area, thus saving owners long trips with their animals.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Richard L. Olson and her sister Jane W. (Topping) Combest. Survivors include her brother, James R. Topping (Barbara), and a sister Sally (Topping) Glover (Herschel). Other survivors include several nieces and nephews; Ann Topping, Lin Topping, Kathy Ryan (Dan), Darcy Neal (Dave), John McClure (Becky), Stephen McClure (Angie), David McClure, Lynne Roe, and Martha (McClure) Miller (Dave). Mary is survived by several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews. Also surviving are her step-children Ginger Macintyre, Dianne Olson, and Richard Olson.
Memorial contributions are welcomed by Grace Hospice or the Lawrence Humane Society, c/o Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.