Donald C. Olson

Donald C. Olson, 89, of Ulen, MN, died Monday, October 19, 2015, in Viking Manor Nursing Home, Ulen, MN.

Donald was born on July 22, 1926 on a farm in Brooten, MN. He was the fourth child of Clarence and Esther Olson. He had five brothers and five sisters. As a child he moved to North Dakota with his family and remained there until he was twenty-one helping his dad on the family farm.
Don and his brother Carl entered the service September 12, 1950. Don served in the Korean War where he built roads and bridges on the front lines so the artillery units could move forward. He was there for eleven months and received recognition as a sharp shooter and four battle stars.
Donald returned and was stationed at a few different camps ending up at Camp Altenburg, IN. While there he operated a D7 bulldozer and was later promoted to sergeant and began training others in the use of such equipment. He left the service on September 11, 1953.
While in Indiana Don met his wife Helen Sisley, daughter of Lester & Sallie Sisley, who operated a farm in Spencer County. Don & Helen met on a blind date during her senior year of high school. They got married on June 6, 1954 at Newtonville Methodist Church. They moved to North Dakota the night of their wedding to a farm near Sutton where they farmed and began their family; Lester, Jeffery and Ginger. In 1960 they bought a farm 7 miles from Hawley, MN where they raised their family. In 1979 they sold the farm and moved to Moorhead where they lived until 2008 when they moved to the Viking Manor.
Don farmed, worked as a mechanic at John Deere in Hawley from 1962-1965. He also worked for Collins Construction over the road from 1965-1968, E.W. Wylie as a mechanic from 1968-1974, S&S Construction from 1974-1982 when they closed and then Border States and Ames for one year each and ended at Western Steel Erectors until he retired.
Don also worked his way up to commander at the West Fargo VFW in the cooties and volunteered many years at the VA hospital; he received a pin for volunteering 5, 000 hours and has been greatly missed. Don & Helen both volunteered at WMSTR for years and always spent the entire week there helping.
Donald will be remembered by his sons Lester of Pittsburgh, PA., Jeff and his wife Renae of Hitterdal, MN and their daughters Kayli, Stephanie sons Kalyb & JJ, and KayCi son Waylan; daughter Ginger and her husband Jeff Dauner of Hawley, MN and their daughers Amber, Ashley children Adrianna & Javahn and Allison and husband Joe daughter Gracie Mozley; brothers, Robert Olson, Richard Carol Olson and Melvin Olson; sisters, Gloris Elmer Gronneberg, Avis Sather, Linda Wendlick and a sister-in-law, Dee Olson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Esther Olson; brothers, Arthur Olson and Carl Olson; sisters, Esther Nelson and Irene Wieland; brothers-in-law, Bernie Wieland, Donald Nelson and Roger Sather; sisters-in-law, Dollie Olson, Goldie Olson.

Visitation: Wednesday, October 21, from 10 – 11 a.m., in Hawley Alliance Chruch, Hawley, MN.

Funeral: Wednesday, October 21, at 11 a.m., in Hawley Alliance Church, Hawley, MN.

Interment: Solem Lutheran Church Cemetery, Hawley, MN.