Elaine Olson

Elaine Florence (Deschampe) Olson, beloved wife, mother and grandmother went to be with the Great Spirit on September 13, 2014 at the age of 73 in Selah, Washington. She was born June 8, 1941 in Cloquet, Minnesota to Mary and William Deschampe. She is the 2nd oldest of 8 children. She grew up on the Grand Portage Chippewa Indian Reservation and was proud of her heritage. She graduated from Cook County High School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. She married her husband Fred on August 30, 1958 and together raised five children. They made Washington State their home for the past 40 plus years. She really loved living in Cashmere, WA. While living there she volunteered her time at the local nursing home and enjoyed talking and helping out with the elders. She enjoyed playing the accordion, organ and key boarding; one of her favorite tunes she liked to play on her accordion was “Roll out the Barrel.” She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh and was a great listener and often passed her wisdom to others. She especially loved spending time with her family and passing down Ojibwe stories and traditions that were taught to her by her parents. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and loved spending time with them. Her great-grandchildren often referred to her as “cookie grandma” or “the gum grandma”. She also enjoyed going to the ocean, Cascade Mountains, camping, shopping and to the casinos with her husband and brother Marvin. She will be greatly missed by all that knew her. She is survived by her husband Fred and children; son John (Lisa Dahmen) of Grand Portage, MN. grandsons Merlin and Preston,(great-grandson Preston Jr.), daughter Marilyn of Fairbanks, AK. grandson Chris, (great-granddaughter Hannah) of Yakima, WA. granddaughter Cynthia (great-grandchildren Abigail, Wyatt and Victoria) of Fairbanks, AK. son Donald of Grand Portage, MN. daughter Angela (Jim Fife) grandchildren Nathan, (great-granddaughter Sophie), Jamie (Andrew Johnston)and (step-great-grandchildren Alex and Maddison) all from Selah, WA. son Leland, granddaughter Megan both of Yakima, WA. She is also survived by her siblings Marvin Deschampe, Carolyn Spry, Clayton Deschampe, Rita Hein, Esther Deschampe, Mike Deschampe and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. She is preceded in death by her parents Mary and Billy, sister Yvonne Tesser, sister-in-law Maureen Deschampe and great-granddaughter Emy Elaine Olson. There will be a private ceremony to honor her life. The family wishes to thank the staff at the Cottage in the Meadow for the exceptional and compassionate care that they gave to her during her time of need. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to The Cottage in the Meadow 1208 S. 48th Ave. Yakima WA. 98908, phone number 509-574-6744 To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Elaine Olson, please visit our flower store.