Mildred Olson

Mildred Olson of Aberdeen and formerly of Webster and Waubay area died on Monday, April 14, 2014 at Angelhaus Regional Care Center in Aberdeen. Funeral services will be at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, April 19, 2014 at Egeland Lutheran Church near Waubay, Robert Grebel will officiate. Burial will be at 10:00am Saturday at Homer Cemetery, Pierpont. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Friday 5-7 P.M. ending with a 7 P.M. Prayer Service. There will be no visitation on Saturday. The family requests that memorials are directed to Gideons International and American Bible Society. Mildred Aileen Erickson was born on Sunday, May 26, 1929 to Clarence T. and Hilda (Skoien) Erickson at Britton, South Dakota. She was the middle child in a family of five kids. The family lived near Spain, South Dakota. She was baptized and confirmed at Langford Lutheran Church. The family moved to Langford where she graduated from high school in 1947. She then attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls where she graduated in 1949 and received her teaching certificate. She taught school in Brookings and Langford. On June 30, 1950, she was united in marriage to Maurice Olson at Langford, South Dakota. After their marriage the couple lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Chugiak, Alaska while Maurice served in the military. In 1952, the couple moved to a farm south of Waubay in Egeland Township, Day County, South Dakota where they farmed and raised their family. In 1994, they retired from farming and moved to Webster. Maurice passed away in November 2004. After his death, she remained in her home until 2011 when she entered Golden Living Center in Groton. She moved to Angelhaus Regional Basic Care Center in Aberdeen in January 2012. Mildred enjoyed their life on the farm where she was a consistent and stabilizing presence. She was actively involved in the farm as she and Maurice raised their five children. Each summer she maintained a large garden and instilled in her children a love of gardening. All of her kids (including her sons) learned from her at least the basics of how to cook and bake. Everyone learned to help with all the chores. As her daughters grew, she taught them all how to sew. She enjoyed working with the livestock including cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses. Many family stories are told repeatedly of the large meals she delivered to the fields during the summer harvest (with all five kids in tow ensuring that each was wearing proper shoes). Her children learned many things from Mildred, and the most important thing she instilled in quiet consistent ways was a deep and abiding faith in God. One of her greatest joys in life came as grandchildren joined the family. Her smile was broadest when she was with her grandchildren. She was a member of Egeland Lutheran Church where she was active in Circle and Ladies Aide. She was a member of Wheatland-Egeland Extension Club, Gideon Auxiliary and was a R.S.V.P. Volunteer. Mildred entered her eternal home to be with her Lord and Savior on Monday, April 14, 2014 at Aberdeen, South Dakota at the age of 84 years, 10 months and 19 days. Survivors include two sons, Jerry (Peggy) Olson of Red Wing, MN (children: Elizabeth, Jenna, Jessica, Nicholas, and Courtney); Ron (Renee) Olson of Waubay, SD (children: Lauren, Olivia, Regan, Levi, and Kylen); three daughters, Deb (Paul) Mogen of Casper, WY, (children: Stephen, Daniel, and Nathan); Cindy (Don) Wolter of Webster, SD (children: Kristin, Eric, Kelsey, and Drew); and Barb (Randy) Hough of Webster, SD (children: Marcus, Alan, Amanda, and Morgan); six great grandchildren; two sisters, Gloriane Yost of Aberdeen, SD and Joanne (Raymond) Carson of Langford, SD. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and two brothers, Harlow and Clarence, Jr.