February 28, 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

Senior Spotlight… Drew Coursey

July 17, 2019

July 17, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph-Ogden senior five questions. This week we spoke to Drew Coursey. This post is...

10 things you don’t know about me… Karin Poulter

February 6, 2020

February 6, 2020

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 things we don’t know about them. This week we...

Local Girl Scouts reflect on trip to Georgia

January 16, 2020

January 16, 2020

The road to Georgia was long and winding, but worth it. Recently scouts in Troops 2077, 2116 and 2134 presented...

Daily Exercise Recommendations

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

By: Christie Clinic Department of Family Medicine We all know physical activity is good for our overall health, but many...

For Poulter, entertaining people is a calling

July 17, 2024

July 17, 2024

Jonny Poulter just wants to entertain people. The 2022 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate was inspired to play music after...

Dream come true: St. Joseph native earns veterinarian degree from University of Illinois

July 18, 2019

July 18, 2019

Suzanne Ford has always wanted to be a veterinarian. “My mom says I was two years old when I said...

Haley’s lofty vision with SJO baseball has become reality

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Josh Haley didn’t do anything elaborate after he achieved a coaching milestone earlier this month. For the St. Joseph-Ogden High...

Going the Distance: Smetzer excels at Western

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Ross Smetzer has goals. The 2016 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate runs cross country and track for Western Illinois University...

Family hoping for a miracle

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Angelique and Cole Rosnett have been faced with an unimaginable choice. To save their daughter Ivy they may have to...

10 things you don’t know about me… Yasmin Rietmann

March 27, 2019

March 27, 2019

Yasmin Rietmann helps customers at St. Joseph Automotive in addition to raising her three kids and much more. This post...

Talk of the Town with Superintendent Todd Pence

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Every week we ask a village mayor, trustee, school administrator or board of education member three questions. This week is...

10 things you don’t know about me….. Pam Leiter

January 30, 2019

January 30, 2019

Every week we ask a community member to tell us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week it is Pam...

10 things you don’t know about me… Amy Gibbons

December 18, 2019

December 18, 2019

How did you come up with the name for your salon? 192 is actually the St. Joseph exit number. I...

Kids Say

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

Every week we ask area students questions about being a farmer. This week we spoke to kids at PVO South....

10 things you don’t know about me… Taylor Baldner

January 29, 2020

January 29, 2020

This week we asked Taylor Baldner of Taylor-Made Photography to tell us 10 things about herself. Baldner has recently joined...

Comments
Leave a Reply