Katherine Olsen Obituary

Katherine Ayn (Katie) Olsen, age 53, died July 26, 2023, at EveryStep Kavanaugh House in Des Moines, Iowa. She courageously and vigorously fought metastasizing breast cancer since 2019.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. CST, Thursday, August 3, 2023, at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church, 1230 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, followed by a luncheon at the church. Livestream link will be available on the church
Facebook page: “St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church.” Burial location and date will be announced on funeral home website, www.IlesCares.com.

Visitation with family present will be held Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., followed by a prayer service, at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, 1230 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines. The Iles Funeral Homes, Westover Chapel, Des Moines, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Katie was born June 28, 1970, in Marshall, Minnesota, to Ken and Karon Lampy Schaack. She was baptized at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Marshall. In 1975, the family moved to Pierre, South Dakota.

She attended St. Joseph Elementary School, received First Communion and was confirmed at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Pierre. She graduated from T. F. Riggs High School in 1989, where she excelled in academics, music, including band, chorus, marching band, orchestra, All-State Orchestra, and enjoyed participating in theatre arts and golf. She was elected to National Honor Society and was a member of Odyssey of the Mind teams and competed in two national competitions. She worked after school and during summers at the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, as well as doing child care in the community.

Katie earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and graduated from Drake University, Des Moines, in 1995, and was licensed as a pharmacist by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy. Her current license is set to expire June 30, 2025.

During her six years at Drake, she participated in band, flag corps., served as president of Chi Omega sorority, was elected to Mortar Board, worked part-time at Penn Avenue Pharmacy, and became a lifelong Bulldog fan.

On August 3, 1996, she married a fellow Drake graduate, Kevin J. Olsen. They established their home in Clive, Iowa, and became active members of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Parish in Des Moines.

They are parents of four children: Emily, a graduate student at Marquette Uni-versity, Milwaukee; Tobias, a junior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Anna Rose, an entering freshman at St. Louis University, St. Louis; Benjamin, a sophomore at Dowling Catholic High School, West Des Moines. All are alumni of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic School, Des Moines, as well as Dowling Catholic High School. Katie and Kevin served on numerous volunteer committees and participated in annual fundraising efforts during their children’s years at St. Theresa Catholic School.

Katie began her professional career as a pharmacist at Lakeview Medical Plaza Pharmacy, transitioning to a part-time schedule as her family increased.

With the schedule of her growing active children taking top priority, she eventually transitioned from pharmacy to her other love -“little people” as she fondly called them, caring for and nurturing St. Theresa pre-schoolers, one or two at a time, in her home for several years, guiding them to successful school-readiness.

Katie is survived by her husband of 27 years, Kevin; her four children, Emily, Tobias, Anna Rose, and Benjamin; her mother, Karon Schaack, Rapid City, S. Dak., her sister and her brother-in-law, Ann and Yohancé Humphery, and their daughter, Ellery, who is Katie’s goddaughter, Reno NV, and her brother and her sister-in-law, Dr. Jon and Dr. Tara Schaack, and their three daughters, Lilibeth, Cecily, and Astrid, who is also Katie’s goddaughter, Rapid City, S.Dak.

Also surviving her are in-laws, including Kevin’s parents Gary and Connie Olsen, Cherokee, IA; Kevin’s brothers and wives, Kory and Suzie Olsen, and their children, Sarah, who is also Katie’s goddaughter, and Charlie, Huntington Beach, CA; Kyle and Yvonne Olsen, Taipei, Taiwan.

Numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in South Dakota also mourn the loss of Katie, along with a host of friends and colleagues in Iowa and South Dakota.

She was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth E. Schaack, her baby sister, Amy Karon Schaack, her Lampy and Schaack grandparents, including a special Grandma, Leola Lampy, with whom she spent time growing up and who was always her cheerleader.

Condolences and memorials may be sent to the family at 1682 NW 109th St., Clive IA 50325. Per Katie’s wishes, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials which will be given to St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic School Tuition Assistance.

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