Dorothy M. Olsen

Dorothy Mae (Masters) Olsen

February 20, 1923 - September 19, 2018

Psalm 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"

Dorothy was one of thirteen children born to Jesse Marion and Effie Mae Masters in Oelwein, Iowa.

On December 31, 1943 she married Robert Olsen and together they made their home in Cedar Falls.  They owned and operated Olsen Boathouse from 1949 until Bob's death in 1985.  Dorothy also worked at River Hills School for over 20 years, dearly loving her work with children who had mental challenges.  She was a woman of strong convictions and great faith. She was a member of Nazareth Lutheran Church for 60 years.  Dorothy loved to travel and was fortunate to have visited many parts of the world.

Her husband Robert was always the love of her life… and their greatest accomplishment and source of joy was their family.  They counted their many friends as an additional blessing in life!

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Robert, her daughter Barbara, and 8 of her siblings.

Left to cherish her memory are her children: Rebecca (Earl) Short, Robert, Bryce (Pat), Edric (Kellie) and Jeff; her 13 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren; her brothers: Wayne Masters and Raymond (Alyce) Masters; her sisters: Dolores Novak, Norma Lee (Roger) Van Haaften; and many nieces and nephews.

A private graveside celebration of life service was held Saturday, September 22, 2018 at Fairview Cemetery in Cedar Falls.