Gary J. Olson grew up as the second of five children on a Wisconsin dairy farm. At age eighteen, he received a Wisconsin Cheese Maker's license and worked with his father in the cheese making business. The manufactured cheese was sold to the Bordon Cheese Company. Gary enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1955 and was honorably discharged as sergeant in 1958 in time to enroll for the fall semester at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. He later graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University in 1995.

Pastor Olson lives in Waterloo, Iowa, with his wife, Ella. His memoir includes fifty years of parish ministry, seventeen of them combined with chaplaincy in a long-term care setting.