June 7, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

10 things you don’t know about me… The Gary Olson Family

The GARY OLSON FAMILY is being inducted into the SJO Hall of Fame tonight.

  1. Gary and Nancy Olson and their three children, Ory, Isaiah and Bria are all SJO grads.
  2. Gary graduated in 1980. He played basketball and was a member of FFA, serving as president his senior year.
  3. Nancy graduated in 1983 and was a cheerleader all four years.
  4. Ory graduated in 2005. He played basketball all four years, football and track each one year. He was also involved in FFA, serving as president his senior year.
  5. Isaiah graduated in 2007. He was a three sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. His senior year he was captain of basketball and football, which was the 2006 Runner up state team.
  6. Bria graduated in 2010. She was a three sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track. She was captain of both the volleyball and basketball teams her senior year. She still currently holds the school record in high jump.

    7.Nancy and Ory both graduated from Parkland College. Isaiah and Bria both graduated from the U of I.
  1. Nancy was an SJO Cheer coach for several years and helped start the student cheering section, Maroon Platoon. Gary, Isaiah and Bria all coached basketball at the St. Joseph Grade and Middle Schools for several years. In addition Gary and Isaiah coached freshmen
    basketball at SJO for a few years.
  2. They have previously received the SJO Friend of Education award for their countless hours of volunteer service they have given to SJO.
  3. Gary and Nancy have been married for 37 years. They have nine grandchildren. They all operate the family farm together and reside North of St. Joseph.
in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

‘I’m so thankful and grateful for this opportunity’

February 11, 2022

February 11, 2022

Amy Gibbons is celebrating a birthday. Salon 192 opened two years ago today. “The past two years have definitely been...

‘There is no one more deserving of this honor’

June 26, 2020

June 26, 2020

Glenn Fisher loves St. Joseph-Ogden High School. For decades, Fisher’s main concern was that the facilities and sports fields at...

Cunningham wants to help Homer grow

April 6, 2021

April 6, 2021

Ray Cunningham feels he has unfinished business.  Cunningham is running for reelection as Homer’s mayor on April 6.  “I am...

10 things you don’t know about me… Carrie Mattsey

September 27, 2019

September 27, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week we spoke to...

‘We lost a very good man in Jim Cotter’

September 2, 2021

September 2, 2021

Jim Cotter loved to brag about his kids. This past Saturday was no exception. Cotter took time out from covering...

Get to know Senior SJO Marching Band member Bryce Collins

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

The community surrounding Marching Band is filled with some of the most talented, passionate, and downright amazing people I’ve ever...

5 things you don’t know about me… Braxton Kuchenbrod

August 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

Braxton is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

‘St. Joseph is better because of Dixie Hackler’

January 20, 2020

January 20, 2020

Dixie Hackler always had a smile on her face. Always made time for others. And always made sure others knew...

5 things you don’t know about me… Will Rubach

August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

Will is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

Former rivals give back with youth girls’ basketball program

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Growing up, Andrea Flenniken was a Spartan. Flenniken graduated from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in 1996 and played girls’ basketball...

Leemon to be honored Sunday

September 3, 2020

September 3, 2020

St. Joseph will honor one of its heroes on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. Sgt. Dustin Leemon of the United...

Friends hope to help Heritage alumni battle illness

February 15, 2019

February 15, 2019

Heritage alumni Anya Knecht makes food for her friends, family and coworkers. She sends cards and handmade gifts to others....

We the People holding one final fundraiser

April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019

There is one final chance to help the St. Joseph-Ogden We the People Civics Team fund their trip to Nationals...

10 things you don’t know about me… Cindy Berry-Rajlich

September 11, 2019

September 11, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to give us 10 facts about themselves. This week we talked to Cindy...

Wife Tribe looks to help those in need

August 5, 2019

August 5, 2019

The St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Wife Tribe wants to bring the community together. The group, founded this summer, was created by...

Comments
Leave a Reply