Marlys Olson, 67, of Thief River Falls, MN, died on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at the Villa St. Vincent in Crookston, MN. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 19, 2015 at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Thief River Falls, MN, with Pastor Wes Langaas officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM with a 7:00 PM prayer service on Friday, September 18, 2015 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will also take place one hour prior to the funeral service on Saturday at the church. Marlys Jean Stokke Olson was born on January 21, 1948 in Thief River Falls, MN, the daughter of Percy and Vernace (Hjelle) Stokke. She spent her first years with her family on a farm by Newfolden, MN. They later moved to a farm near Viking, MN. Marlys completed her first eight years of school in Viking and attended high school in Newfolden, graduating in 1966. Following high school Marlys started working for The Times office in Thief River Falls. On June 1, 1968 Marlys married Douglas Olson at the Viking Covenant Church. They lived in various communities and cared for 54 foster children in Marshall County, Pennington County, and Becker County from 1970 until 2008. She was also a daycare provider. Marlys completed her working years as a Paraprofessional in the Greenbush/Middle River, Thief River Falls, and Detroit Lakes school districts. Marlys and Douglas retired to Thief River Falls where they became caretakers at the Oak Lodge Apartment Complex. She also worked part-time at Digi-Key until the cancer made it necessary to retire. Marlys died after fighting a courageous battle with cancer for over three years. Marlys is survived by her husband, Douglas of Thief River Falls, MN; children, Jodi Hansen (fiancé, John Westgard) of Sauk Rapids, MN, Robert (Marilyn) Olson of Lakeville, MN, and Shaine (Rita) Olson of Halstad, MN; grandchildren, Zoey Hansen, Chris Taylor, Nick Olson, Ana Olson, Jesse Olson, James Olson, Joey Olson, Ethan Olson, and Mason Olson; foster children, Eric (Melody) Allen, Chris (Shelly) Allen, Tommy Manthey, Tosha Beto, and Amber Lund; brother, Byron (Cheryl) Stokke; sisters, CoCo (Casey) Kayser and Kim (Gerard) Novak; special aunt, Ardy Hjelle; many nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends. Preceding her in death are her parents; grandparents; aunts, uncles, and friends.