James Arlan Olson, 73, of Sheridan passed away on Thursday, December 22, 2011 at his residence. 

Jim was born on January 2, 1938 to Clarence and Margaret (Zahn) Olson in New England, North Dakota. Clarence died when Jim was eight years old, Margaret later married Ralph Paulsrud.

In High School Jim was very active in basketball, football and junior legion baseball. He graduated in May of 1956 and went into the Navy in July. He was in the National Security Agency stationed in Kami Seya, Japan and honorably discharged from the United States Navy on July 30, 1962.

Jim went to Dickinson State Teachers College in Dickinson, ND where he worked various jobs in order to put himself through school. In May of 1965 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree.

He met his sweetheart Judy Geck while attending Dickinson State. They were married on August 21, 1965 in St. Patrick’s Church in Dickinson, ND. The couple moved to Dunseith, ND where Jim taught business classes at the High School and coached junior varsity football and basketball. In 1968 Jim graduated with honors being inducted into the Alpha Nu Society from the University of North Dakota with an MBA. The couple then moved to Argyle, MN where Jim was the principal of the Junior and Senior High School.

The fall of 1969 Jim and Judy moved to Minneapolis, MN where Jim studied to be a stockbroker. After completing his training they moved to Bismarck, ND where he worked for Dain, Kalman and Quail. In 1971, they moved to Sheridan and Jim went to work for Piper Jaffrey. November 1979, he opened the first Dean Witter Reynolds office in Wyoming and later opened satellite offices in Gillette, Cody and Jackson in 1985.

Jim was elected to the Sheridan County School District #2 School Board, serving nine years, holding positions in every office. He was a fifty year member of the Elks, Shrine and Scottish Rite. For over thirty years he was very involved in the Dog and Cat Shelter holding various positions on the board of directors and providing constant financial advice while managing its investments. Jim was a forty year member of the Sheridan Country Club and a loyal Lion’s Club member for over forty years. On two different occasions, Jim was invited to go on the “Man of the Year” pack trip with the forest service.

Jim had a love for golf, gardening, researching investment opportunities and reading a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and books. World War II was a hot topic. He researched and read numerous books to understand each country’s stance on the war. With his vast interest in learning, the teacher in Jim continually shared articles and knowledge with people everywhere he went.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, stepfather, grandparents, and his infant son Dan James Olson. He is survived by his wife Judy, daughter Kristen Olson of Sheridan, WY, and his sister, Renee (Dean) Rettinger, New England, ND, nieces Meribeth (Wes) Ray, New England, ND, Gina (Glenn) Delabarre, Rapid City, SD, and nephew Perry (Brenda) Rettinger, New England, ND.

Visitation for Jim will be from 6 to 7 PM on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at Kane Funeral Home.

Services will be at 10:00 AM, on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at the Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor Phil Wold officiating. Interment will be in the Sheridan Elks Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Trinity Lutheran Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Sheridan Dog and Cat Shelter at 84 East Ridge Road, Sheridan, WY 82801.

Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.

Hi,

I’m assuming Patsy is a nickname for Beverly Smith?  When she was my classmate (BHS Vlass of 19577, we knew her as Beverly Smith (married to a “Crummy”/address was Argyl, MN/is deceased).  The unknown girl next to Patsy/Beverly is her sister, Lois Smith Yates (Homer), BHS Class of 1958.  At one time, Homer/Lois/family’s address was Shreveport, LA.  I think she still lives there/in that area.

Neola

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Back: Shirely, Lorraine & Lois Pritchard

Center: Darold Pritchard, Patsy Smith and Lois Smith

Front: John Pritchard, Dale Pritchard, ? and ?

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Joke of the day

“Sixty is the worst age to be,” said the 60-year-old man. “You always
feel like you have to pee and most of the time you stand there nothing
comes out. “

“Ah, that’s nothin,” said the 70-year-old. “When you’re
seventy, you don’t have a bowel movement any more. You take laxatives,
eat bran, sit on the toilet all day and nothin’ comes out!”

“Actually, “said the 80-year -old, “Eighty is the worst age of all.”

“Do you have trouble peeing, too?” asked the 60-year old.

“No, I pee every morning at 6:00. I pee like a racehorse; no problem at all.”

“So, do you have a problem with your bowel movements?”

“No, I have one every morning at 6:30.”

Exasperated, the 60-year-old said, “You pee every morning at 6:00
and have a bowel movement every morning at 6:30. So what’s so bad about being 80?”

“I don’t wake up until 7:00.”

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Blog (56) posted on March 26, 2008

From Dean Stickland (73):

Gary – you might want to send this on – perhaps some of the class of ’73
will recall it.

To Ardys Bakken Horner, former 8th Grade Teacher to the class of ’73:

Yes, I remember well the rat incident in 8th grade English class.
Actually, when I saw your message a couple of days ago, I told that story
to my wife and daughters and we all had a good chuckle.  I wondered then
if you remembered the incident and your email today confirmed it.

Do you remember who “accidently” slightly ripped his book page that day
and came up to your desk to ask for some tape to fix it?  Some of us boys
(about four of us) just happened to know what was in your tape drawer that
afternoon.  I was a bit anxious about the potential outcome of following
through with “the plan” that day, but we were all well rewarded when you
opened the drawer, saw the rat, then simultaneously shrieked in wide-eyed
terror, jumped about three feet into the air and somehow made it past me
and out the door before touching the floor again.  You were absolutely
awesome!!

If my memory is accurate the rest of the class time that day seemed a tad
bit strained for some of us.  I always wondered if you ever found out who
was involved with that rat.  Thanks for all you did for us and for all you
put up with.  Our sentence structure and punctuation may not be perfect,
but we owe our ability to communicate to you and a select few others who
patiently gave of your time and effort to help us learn.

I have great memories of growing up in Dunseith.
Dean Stickland (73)
Olympia, WA

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Reply from Evon Lagerquist (77):

Gary, Mom remembers the accident. She remembers that they were coming home from Dunseith, with salt blocks in the back seat on the floor, and Ray falling on one and getting a bloody nose. The accident happened just east of the Willow Lake School house,(sounds like the same area where the accident with Mr. Parrill happened)! Anyway, Mom said that Dad was pretty much off the road when they met and still got side-swiped!!!!

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Evon, Your mother is absolutely correct with what I remember happening.  Your dad could see us coming and drove as far as he could off the road to avoid getting hit.  My dad must have had his blinders on that day.  I remember the impact as being pretty solid.  Ray would have been about 1 year old at the time.  I think he was born in 1952.  You realize this accident happened about 55 years ago.  Good memories of the not so good. Gary

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From Bonnie Awalt Houle (56):

Dear Gary,

    I am sure we all can remember things that we did as children that when we look back on them today we simply shake our heads and say “Whatever made us believe we could do that!”

    I remember when we were kids they would shoot the fourth of July fireworks from the top of the gravel pit.  All the people would park their cars in our pasture and watch the display.

     One year when I was in about the third grade and my brother Bill was in the first grade, we got it into our heads that we could put on our own fireworks display.  The day after the fourth we climbed up on the gravel pit and gathered up all the left overs from the display.  We had a lot of fireworks!  Bill, Allen Rubachi and I each were loaded down with loot.  We carried it down to our barn.  At the barn we dumped all the powder out of the fireworks onto an old door in the hayloft of the barn.

     We talked about what a beautiful fireworks show we were going to see once we lit the powder on fire.  We were imagining all the beautiful colors and the great booming sounds we would hear.

      It was a pretty breezy day and we were having a difficult time lighting the match and getting our fireworks lit.  Finally it was decided that Allen would shield the fireworks from the wind with his hands and arms while we lit the fire.  The match touched the pile of powder and everything just exploded!  Fire was everywhere!  Allen went screaming and running home.  I ran to get my Mother to call the fire department.  I wasn’t sure where Bill was.

     Bill ran for a pail to put out the fire. His problem was the pail he found had a hole in it.  Bill never gave up, he was still running from the water trough to the fire with his leaky bucket when the fire department showed up.  The barn was saved, partly because of Bills leaky bucket.

     Allen had blistered his hands, arms and face.  Since Allen hauled the wood for his families cook stove which he now couldn’t do, our Dad decided that as part of our punishment Bill and I would now carry the wood that Allen couldn’t carry.  Allen healed with no scars, Bill and I learned the difference between fireworks and gun powder.   I think that Bill must have had some natural instinct for fighting fires because he was the fire chief in Rolla for many years.

Bonnie Awalt Houle Class of 56  Written with Bills permission as long as I didn’t make him look to bad!

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From Paul Grossman (70):

REPLY:  SHARON/BEV.   Sharon –  brother Pete lives in Hazen and he works in Montana as a coal miner –  He and his wife Julie have three grown kids and two young granddaughters-  Life has been very busy for them.I will say Hi for you.  Parrell is a States attorney and lives in Bismarck-  They have 3 kids.

Bev:  So nice to hear from you-    Did you really think we would not catch you-  you gals were always  so much fun to chase.     May Day was great practice for later in life,  Pat ,  my wife  was faster than me – we have two great boys-   Life has been good and  we are all getting older-   I remember  having lots of fun with you and your brother and sisters.   One can move away but as I said before – new friends are fun to have but old friends are ALWAYS  to KEEP.      Say Hi to All      Paul

Reply :     Mark , Dave ,   Dick           Hey guys  those cars were lots for fun but the old car i remember was  one Dick had – an old  4 door – he would  drive us younger  kids around hours on end-  we thought we were kings on the hill  when we went riding with Dick.   Dick and that old car made us feel special. As I got older  I keep that memory close  and  I would carry it on .    I think I can still feel just what they felt when i would pull up in my 1968 -428 – Mustang  Cobra Jet  – we would RIDE.     Dick thanks for  being there when us younger guys needed a boost.   I spend alot of my spare time hunting old car  for friends        Paul

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From Gary Metcalfe (57):  

Hello all,  Because of our geographical location, some of us were blessed to have known some of the first generation, called pioneers.  Henry Hagen was one, he produced a son, Clarence, that probably would be called a hero if we knew what he did in WWII.  Earl Fassett and Wilmar Fassett, the old guard they were.  Henry and Earl had a look about them that said, “all is well”.

Grandma Randina Evans had a twinkle in her eye and chuckle.  She traded her lady like clothes off for the blue bib overalls and five buckle overshoes and loved every minute of working outside.  She was at her best when she had Nellie and Squirrley on the hay rake raking hay. I washed the cream separater with her every day in the winter, she was always singing or whistling.  She lost children, sent sons to the wrong division in WWII. I know that many pioneers were of this quality.

Then came the Brokow’s greatest generation, our parents.  They survived the great depression, went to war or to work and I mean they worked, and they let us work too.  I never have seen a man or kid that worked too hard, I have seen some women that did.  The first generation had a great spirit without the use of props that came on the scene.  They did not need fancy cars, jewelry, clothes or foofoo water.  Second generation was about the same.  I forgot about Grandma’s chopper mitts.  Thirty below zero, you would see her swing her arms and slap those mitts against her body, rosy cheeks and a twinkle in her eye.

Keep the history coming, sure do enjoy reading it.  Gary Metcalfe

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From Bev Morinville Azure (72):

Dick,   love  the  pic’s   and   loved  u  remembered to  roll up  those  pants .   How  cool   must  have  been a   fun  night.
to  all my  classmates  of  72  ” YOU  ALL  ROCK” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   72   still  is  a   close  class  when i  got  cancer   they  took a  donation and   got a  tv  and  raffled  it  off  and   clarence and  I recieved  over 800  dollars   to help  with  gas  to and  from Minot  for  my radaition. I  am blessed  to  have  such wonderful   classmates  that have  always  shown people    so much  love.  so  I would  like  to  thank  everyone  who   took a  chance  on the  TV . Loretta Wall   happen  to  win   wtg Loretta    all that   good  karma  is  coming back to u.  i love  all u  guys  thanks  for  the prayers and  help.   love  bev

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Pictures from Dick Johnson (68):

Gary and Friends

Here are some pictures from 1960 that you might find
interesting. They are of a mock wedding skit for some womens
group. It is in the basement of the Stone Church. The reluctant
bride is Randi Fuchs and I am the groom. The judge is none
other than the Honorable Terry “Lars” Halvorson! I wonder if
Lars missed his calling!! I don’t remember what the purpose of
this skit was, but I know we really weren’t given a choice, as
I recall!! The ladies are Dorothy Fassett [back row], Vida
Hiatt,?, Myrtle Olson, Julia Hiatt, Mrs. Grimme [back row],
Mrs. Bogus and Bernadette, maybe Mabel Boardman, ?, ?,.. I
don’t think the marriage lasted until the lunch was done!
Thanks Gary!

Dick