Mark Wayne Olson

Mark Wayne Olson, 70, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at the Promise House in Hiawatha, Iowa. In agreement with his wishes, cremation has taken place. The family will greet friends from 5 - 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion, Iowa. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at the funeral home, with Rev. Randy Kasch officiating. A livestream of the funeral service may be accessed on the funeral home website, under “photos and videos or media,” starting at 11 a.m. A private family burial will take place at Boulder Cemetery in Prairieburg, Iowa.

Mark was born on February 8, 1955, in Viroqua, Wisconsin, the son of Winsten and Deloris (Eitland) Olson. He grew up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, was a 1973 graduate of Westby High School in Westby, Wisconsin, and attended Wisconsin Technical Institute. Mark moved to Iowa after he met the love of his life, Pamela Joyce “PJ” Whiting. They were united in marriage on October 6, 1979, in Marion. For 35 years, Mark worked as a Manager at Rockwell Collins, earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, while raising a family to share his passions for music, craftsmanship, and travel, as well as his curiosity and appreciation of nature. He made a family event of riding RAGBRAI with his father and kids for 10 years.

Everyone who knew Mark saw him as a man of unwavering integrity and a beacon of positivity, regardless of the circumstance. The light of his humor, his compassion, his faith in the essential goodness of humanity, is dearly missed. It is never forgotten, as it persists in the legacy of his children and grandchildren.

Mark is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife of 45 years, PJ Olson of Cedar Rapids; daughter, Lydia (Kyle) Olson-Kelley of Iowa City, Iowa; son, Jared Olson of Minneapolis, Minnesota; four grandchildren, Anika, Aurora, Theodosia, and Gideon; mother, Deloris Olson of Westby; two sisters, Rachel (Tim) Hjelsand of Waconia, Minnesota, and Rhoda (Paul) Lund of Pine Island, Minnesota; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Winsten Olson.

Memorials in Mark’s memory may be directed to National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) at www.namilinncounty.org or PO Box 945, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406.