Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271711
Title: Leland O. Olson
Date: 9/2/1934-3/27/2025
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 9/2/1934
Summary: Leland O. Olson, 90, passed away March 27, 2025, in Hayden, ID. Upon Ole’s request, cremation has taken place. His memorial service was held June 7, 2025, at the Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home Chapel in Williston, ND. He was laid to rest at the Riverview Cemetery in Williston. Leland O. Olson, lovingly known as "Ole" to friends and family, lived a life filled with friendships, adventure, and unwavering determination. Born in Brooten, MN, on September 2, 1934, to Harry E. Olson and Olga G. (Eskeland) Olson, he spent his early years in Tioga, ND. It was there that he learned the value of hard work, first as a farmhand and later in his lifelong career with Great Northern Railway, now BNSF, where he worked until retirement. Ole had a rare gift for making friends wherever he went. He never met a stranger, only friends he hadn’t spoken to yet. Whether in a small-town café or a bustling gathering, people knew him wherever he went. He will be deeply missed by the countless friends he made during nearly 30 years of wintering in south Texas. On October 16, 1983, fate nearly kept him from meeting the love of his life, but his determination led him to his first date with Donna Aal. From that moment on, they were inseparable. Together, they built a life filled with adventure—boating, fishing, traveling, and, most of all, dancing. On December 22, 1985, they married in Plentywood, MT, beginning a beautiful journey together. Ole’s legacy lives on in those who loved him, his brother, Norris (Donna) Olson; sister, Bonnie (Rodney) Dumond; children, Tami Skurupey, Leland (Terry) Olson, Susan Kortenbusch; stepchildren, Lisa (Wade) Soiseth, Paul (Sue) Hatton, Greg Anderson; eight grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren. He is also remembered fondly by his many nieces and nephews. He is now reunited with those who went before him, his parents; his beloved wife, Donna; his sister, Diane Olson (Wilkens); daughter, Leanne Olson.
Red ID: FND_I_79207 Image ID: 529922 Image Notes: FND001 271711

Collection: FND001 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Date: -

Summary: The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association. The life stories of deceased North Dakotans are featured in an archvied collection. Current partners in the project are Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Services, Bismarck Evans Funeral Homes, Carrington and New Rockford Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home, Williston Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck Springan Stevenson Funeral Home, Stanley Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson These funeral homes provide recent obituaries to the Foundation, where staff and volunteers format, edit and archive each memorial. The memorials are posted, and copies are sent to the family for their input and approval. The listing currently features more than 13,000 memorials, and is constantly updated as new memorials and histories are received.

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