Olive P. Babolian

Olive Pearl Wright Babolian, 92, died Monday, May 15, 2006. Olive was born December 16, 1913 to John and Maren Froslan Wright on the Ruterford Farm at St. James, MN, Watonwon County by Bullhead Lake. She was the sixth of 13 children. She was baptized and confirmed at the St. James First Lutheran Church. She attended District 51 country school and was the second in her family to graduate from the St. James High School. She married Joe Babolian February 20, 1937 by E.R. Mathre at Estherville, Iowa. Together they had ten children. She worked as Joe's secretary for the Labor's Union Local 1160. When her last child finished school she went to work at Eventide Lutheran Home for 18 years in the dietary department and retired when she was 80 years old. She absolutely loved her job. When she was around 70 years old she taught herself to play the organ. She was an avid reader of magazines, newspapers and books. In her early years she often read the library books brought home by her children. She crocheted dozens of Afghans and doll dresses. She traveled to Germany four times to visit her son Vernon and his wife Heidi. She looked forward to the Wright-Froslan Family Reunion every year to get together with her family to laugh, eat, to drive by the old farm home, look at the lake and talk about where she found arrowheads. And if the water was lower she could take us right to the place where she found them. She is survived by her children, Carolyn Edwin Edwards, Moorhead, MN, Clarice Dennis Edwards, Fargo, ND, Larry Patricia Glyndon, MN, Germaine Victor Gress, Felton, MN, Emory Elizabeth, Fargo, ND, LeRoy, Glyndon, MN, Joe deceased, Clinton, Moorhead, MN, Vernon Heidi, Bechhofen, Germany, and Carl, Moorhead, MN. She has 18 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and one daughter in law, Deborah, Missoula, MT. She is preceded in death by her husband, Joe, May 25, 1968, her son Joe, June 3, 2004 a great-granddaughter, Taylor, March 3, 2003, a daughter-in-law, Joan, November 14, 2002, her parents and ten siblings.