Russell Olson

Russell “Rusty” Olson, 62, of Hatley, died on Thursday, March 18, 2021, at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Rusty was born Feb. 13, 1959, in Monmouth, Illinois, the son of Russell and Ruth (Clark) Olson. Rusty worked as a firefighter for the Wittenberg Fire Department and as a paramedic for the Spirit Critical Care Transport for many years. After Sept. 11, 2001, Rusty went to New York for a week to help with search and recovery. He later worked in shipping and stock at Greenheck and occasionally helped in EMR. Rusty was a member of the Smart Local 365 at Greenheck. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, gardening and always took pride in his “perfect yard.” Rusty loved spending time with his family and friends, especially his grandchildren. Rusty is survived by his mother, Ruth Ann (Earl Motz) Olson; one daughter, Holly (Dan) Filtz; seven grandchildren, Hailey, Ethan, Mason, Jakub, Isaiah, Tucker and Ellie; former wife, Helen; one sister, Roxanne (Tim) Thiede; two nephews, Jeremy Thiede and Christopher (Megan) Thiede and many close friends. Rusty was preceded in death by his father, Russell; two daughters in infancy, Heather and Ruthie; one sister, Rhonda DeCrane, and his best friend, Kip Hoppe. A memorial visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, at Schmidt & Schulta Funeral Home, Wittenberg. Burial will be in Silent Home Cemetery in Cameron, Illinois, at a later date. Memories and message of support may be shared at schmidtschulta.com. The family would like to thank Rusty’s friends for visiting and keeping him company. The family would also like to thank Greenheck as Rusty always had good things to say about them.