Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271949
Title: Olive "Ollie" Brenna
Date: 9/8/1931-12/19/2025
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 9/8/1931
Summary: Olive “Ollie” Brenna, 94, passed away peacefully December 19, 2025, at the McKenzie County Hospital in Watford City, ND. Funeral services were held December 31, 2025, at the Keene First Lutheran Church in Keene, ND, with Pastor Peder Stenslie officiating. She was laid to rest at the Good Hope Cemetery in Keene. Olive Juanita Hasby was born on September 8, 1931, to Oscar and Josephine Hasby on the farm near Hampden, ND. Her father died in a farm accident prior to her birth. She was the youngest of six children. Her elementary school years were spent in a 1-room country schoolhouse near Hampden. She also attended school in Nekoma during the winter months. They sold the farm and moved to Sanish, ND, when her mother married Martin Froshaug in 1945. Ollie met Clayton Brenna in the spring of 1947 and they were married on the Eldred Brenna farm on November 1st of that year. She spent many years on their farm raising their five children and helping with the farm. In 1971, they faced every parent’s biggest nightmare with the loss of their son, Terry, in a car accident. In 1980, Ollie and Clayton moved into New Town. With most of the children raised, Ollie was able to complete high school and attend college. She also studied to be an EMT with the New Town Ambulance Service. In 1996, Ollie and Clayton moved to Watford City and then to Minot in 2014. Ollie’s final move was to the Horizon Assisted Living, Watford City, in November of 2025. Ollie was always involved with her community whether it be church or other community organizations. She loved to sing and was most appreciative of band and piano music. Above all was the love of her family – her husband with whom she shared over 69 years of marriage, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ollie is survived by son, Roger (Kathy) Brenna of New Town, ND; daughter, Glenda (Davis) Littlefield of Bismarck, ND; son, David (Tammy) Brenna of New Town, ND; son, Joel (Sonja) Brenna of Mandan, ND; 9 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Eleanor (Jerry) Washburn of Twin Falls, ID, and Colleen Sherven of Minot, ND; brother-in-law, Owen (Rose) Brenna of Keene, ND; and numerous nieces and nephews. Ollie was preceded in death by her parents, Oscar, Josephine, and Martin; her husband, Clayton; her son, Terry; siblings, June (Boyd) Froshaug, Gordon (Evelyn) Hasby, Ken (Jeanine) Hasby, Glen (Lilah) Hasby, and Opal (Leonard Garness, Ernie) Yuzicapi; sisters-in-law, Evelyn (Fritz) Buerkle, Delores (Joe) Schneider, Fern (Arnold) Ellestad and Elaine (Leo) Doll; brother-in-law, Stanley Berg.
Red ID: FND_I_79456 Image ID: 546518 Image Notes: FND001 271949

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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