Veva Shaw Olsen, 103

Longtime Flathead Valley resident Veva Shaw Olsen passed away Nov. 10, 2011, just short of her 104th birthday, in Tacoma, Wash.

She was born Dec. 11, 1907.

Veva and husband John moved to the East Lakeshore in 1951. They had a small orchard at Yellow Bay and were very active in the community center there. Their grandchildren loved going to Yellow Bay Clubhouse “potlucks” and square dancing when they visited.

Veva was a wonderful gardener and very free with advice and plant clippings to anyone interested. She wrote the horticulture article for the Lakeshore Country Journal for 12 years. When they moved to Polson, Veva became very active on the Tree Board there.

 Weaving was another great interest of Veva’s and she started the Alpine Weavers Group. She was always willing to teach new weavers.

When the orchard became too much for them to handle, John and Veva moved to Polson. People could always guess which house was Veva’s on Fifth Avenue when they came to her white picket fence and many gardens. After John died in 1989, Veva continued to take care of her house and garden with some help until she was 95. After a fall she moved to Washington to be near family in 2005.

Veva was an amazing mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, neighbor and friend to all.

The stories of life on the homestead in Eastern Montana will always be remembered by grandchildren and great grandchildren when she retold many of them at her 100th birthday celebration. 

The family suggests planting a tree as a memorial to Veva.