John James Duling

DULING SCHWINGLER BLOMQUIST

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/20/2010 at 18:14:31

Woodbury County History 1984

John J and Olga (Blomquist) Duling
By Katherine Duling and Hoffman and Dr John L Duling

John James ‘Jack’ Duling, 1895-1963, was one of twin sons born to Matthew and Gertrude (Schwingler) Duling. On October 11, 1922, Jack married Olga Blomquist, born in 1898, formerly a teacher of Commerical Work at Warren College in Minnesota. Olga was from a banking family in Dawson, Minnesota, and just prior to her marriage was secretary to the Sales Manager at Armour and Company in Sioux City. Olga (Helleckson) Blomquist is the daughter of John Karl Magnussen Blomquist, 1852-1916, who was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and emigrated to Dawson, Minnesota, where he became owner of a mill and inventor of several machines (one being a power launch which took tourists up the Lac Parle River from Dawson to other senic towns). Olga’s mother was Mary Clara (Holton-Helleckson) Blomquist, 1860-1930, whose father was a Governor of Minnesota. The Blomquist family had seven children: Malvina, 1878-1952; Julia, 1880-1976; Clara, 1882-1979, Eda, 1884-1981; Edwin, 1886-1886; Olga, born 1898; and Glenn Edwin, 1900-1959. Except for Edwin, who died at birth, and Glenn, who was President of the Northwestern Bank in Dawson, Minnesota, all of the Blomquist children were teachers, all of them receiving degrees form colleges in Minnesota.

Jack and Olga lived for three years at the Bolstein Apartments in Sioux City, for nine years at 2809 Leech Street in Greenville, and for seventeen years at 1712 South St Aubin Street in Morningside. They have only one living child: John Leon Duling, born July 22, 1924.

Olga was not employed outside the home at first, for Jack provided quite well as Director of the Credit Union at Swift and Company ans as State Director for Credit Uniosn, 1939-49. When the gas explosion occurred at the Swift and Company plant in 1949, Jack received a disability pension and retired at age 54, and Olga again worked as a bookkeeper for the Sioux Apartments for two years.

Then came a realization of a dream: Jack and Olga purchased an independent bank in Granite Falls, Minnesota, wher Jack was a Member of the Board of Directors and Olga was Vice-President. Olga’s brother, Glenn, served as President until his death. At the death of Jack in 1963, the bank was ssold and and turned into an investment porfolio, which has become the first real Duling Estate, actually named ‘The Duling-Blomquist Estate’ and presently managed by their son, John Leon Duling, now living in California.

Jack was a member of the Legion, 40 and 8, and several financial societies. Olga, still is active in Eastern Star, former President of her Chapter of PEO in San Fancisco, California, and is a regularly-attending member of the First United Presvyterian Chur ch in San Francisco. Jack and Olga have three grandchildren: Rev John James Duling, born 1950; Dyann Dee (Duling) McCurry, born 1951; and Julia Laree Duling, born 1954; and two great grandchildren.

Olga presently lives in Parmerced in San Francisco. Jack is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery, a beautiful place for veterans.