Curtis D. Olson 1933-2008

OPHEIM, OLSON, TEGLAND, RYAN, GRAHAM, DAVIS

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 4/20/2008 at 09:50:16

Curtis D. Olson

CASCADE, Iowa -- Curtis D. Olson, 74, of 722 2nd. Ave. NW, Cascade, died suddenly Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, at his home.

Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 1, at Reiff Funeral Home, Cascade, with a flag presentation by the Cascade American Legion Post 528. Friends may call after 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 1, at the funeral home, where a Masonic service will be at 10:30 a.m.

Memorial services also will be held at a later date in Humboldt, Iowa.

He was born on July 25, 1933, in Bode, son of Henry M. and Cora (Opheim) Olson. He married Gael Tegland, on March 29, 1958, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Humboldt. Their marriage was blessed with four children, Kathleen, Jennifer, Thomas and Sarah.

Upon completing high school, he worked for Northwestern Bell until he was called to the Army to serve his country where he excelled in sniper and communications training. After completing his duty, he returned to work for Northwestern Bell. He continued to work in the telephone industry for 48 years, managing independent telephone companies in Lone Rock, Goldfield, Green City, Mo., and Cascade, retiring in 1999.

He was active in and served as president and director of the Iowa Telephone Association, being passionate about bringing big-city technologies to rural communities. He was a member of the Burns Masonic Lodge 173 in Monticello, an amateur radio enthusiast, and was active in various civic projects, such as the Tri-County Historical Society and designing and building the golf course in Goldfield. He enjoyed genealogy and loved to play golf.

Surviving are his wife, Gael; daughters, Kate Ryan, her husband, Paul and their children, Joe and Nick, of Wichita, Kan., Jenni Graham, and her children, Kendall and Alex, and Sarah Davis, and her children, Curt and Tony, all of San Antonio; son, Tom Olson, and his wife, Holly, of Ft. Myers, Fla.; and sisters, Thelma, Melba, Aleda, Jorine and Mildred.

He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Henry, Orville, Ronald and James; and two sisters, Lucille and Charlotte.

Copyright (c) Woodward Communications, Inc. 2008, All Rights Reserved. Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Thursday, February 28, 2008