Loretta Olson

Loretta A. Schreck-Olson, age 82, of the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center in Bismarck, was welcomed home by her Lord and Savior on August 7, 2006. Celebration of her life will take place on Tuesday, August 15, at 2:00 PM in the Chapel of the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, with time for fellowship after the funeral service in the MSLCC dining room, followed by interment at Sims Lutheran Cemetery in rural Almont. Loretta?s childhood church, St. John?s Church in Hebron, will welcome her home on Monday, August 14th with visitation from 4:00-7:00 and a prayer service at 7:00 PM. Military rites will be provided at Hebron, Missouri Slope and at interment at Sims Lutheran Cemetery. Loretta was born October 24, 1923 at Hebron, the daughter of Karl and Martha (Eggert) Schreck. Her mother passed away when Loretta was six years old and Loretta found great solace in the ministry from St. Johns Church in her developmental years and was a baptized and confirmed member of St. Johns. Loretta received her education in the Hebron school system and attributed much of her love for learning and knowledge to her educators, especially her 5th grade teachers. Loretta?s journey in life was one of resiliency, knowledge and faith seeker. She and many of her siblings had to seek their own way at the age of 16. Through the help of Mr. and Mrs. Harold McCoy, former Hebron School Superintendent, she was invited to continue her education at Velva, ND and in return was to care for the McCoy?s children. The McCoy?s became surrogate parents for her and maintained a life-long friendship with her. Loretta came to Bismarck after her sophomore year in Velva and received training at the Bismarck hospital X-ray department. She was mentored by a number of the doctors and technicians and was encouraged to further her medical training. Loretta entered the US Navy, during WW II on October 25, 1943 and received her boot camp training at Hunter College in New York. She was interviewed on KFYR with several other North Dakota women, who enlisted at the same time she did. She was than stationed at the US Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA and was a Hospital Corpsman in the WAVES. She was proud to have been assigned to a hospital that cared for over 10,000 patients that included Navy Sailors, Marines and their dependents. She was discharged January 4, 1946 and returned to North Dakota, where she had met Omar Olson. They were united in marriage June 30, 1946 in an evening outdoor ceremony at the Charles and Dorothy Anderson farm in rural Almont. Loretta, being German, always said that it took her seven years to be married to Omar before she acquired a taste for Lutefisk. She shared her loved and skill for embroidery and taught a number of young girls in the area how to do the daisy/French knot stitch/cross stitch that she was noted to be so skilled at. Her most welcome gift for weddings and other special occasions were embroidered pillow cases and table clothes. Loretta and Omar farmed on the Rudolph Olson farm and in the early 1950?s relocated to Pick City for an employment opportunity for Omar to work on the Garrison Dam project. Following the death of her husband and son in 1973 she moved to Mandan and was employed by the Heartview Foundation. During her employment there, she was able to be a source of counsel and witness for the power of the AA program and shared her faith with addicts and their families from all walks of life and locations. Loretta resigned her position with Heartview to accept a new challenge of running a residential facility for the North Dakota Rehabilitation Evaluation program in Mandan. She was acknowledged by that administrator as the key to making that project such a successful program for the participants and the state. In the 1980?s she moved to Bismarck and continued her life-long mission of offering a refuge for those who were looking for great meals (her recipes for red cabbage, baked beans, dumplings and baked goods have been shared far and wide), a good cup of coffee, a friendly game of Pinochle or Whist, spirited political and social issue debates and above all an environment filled with her caring, love and empathy ? always thinking of others before herself. One of her favorite poems from a very young age was ?The House by the Side of the Road? by Sam Walter Foss and often quoted the repeated phrase: ?Let me live by the side of the road and be a friend to man. ? During the 1980?s and into the early 1990?s she enjoyed traveling and spending time with her daughters and favorite nephew, Jim Reetz and his family in Spokane, WA, as well as traveling to Las Vegas, NV to spend time with her dear friends, Bill and Donna Unruh. In 1992, Loretta relocated to Aurora, Colorado and resided with her daughter, Susan, while still traveling to see her other daughter, Kirsten in CA. In 1994 Loretta accepted the challenge of moving to the South to reside with Susan in Richmond, VA. In the fall of 2001, Loretta was challenged with sudden onset of end stage renal failure and started dialysis treatment. Loretta touched many people?s lives in Virginia and became intrigued by the cultural diversity. She developed strong friendships with individuals of diverse ethnic and faith based backgrounds. She particularly felt blessed with her faith-based friendship with Minister Thomas Powell and was honored to be invited to attend his Church for one of his first Sermons. Loretta resided in Richmond until October 2005 when she decided it was time to return home to North Dakota and become a resident of MSLCC. Minister Thomas and a number of the Virginia dialysis staff continued their friendship with Loretta upon her return to Bismarck. A number of people have associated the following quote with Loretta ?Some people come into our lives and quickly go, Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same. ?Where ever Loretta resided, she shared her childhood philosophy of life: ?There is a destiny that makes us brothers, none goes on his way alone ? All that we give to the lives of others comes back to our own. ? Edwin Markan She shared her faith and even as she was embracing death and the knowledge of returning home to her Heavenly Father she shared some of her favorite scriptures: Psalm 121, John 14:1-8 ,15-19, 27-28, Revelation 21:1-7. Loretta leaves the following to share her legacy of love and faith: her two daughters, Susan Olson of Richmond, VA and Kirsten Olson-Mason of San Diego, CA; surrogate daughters: Michelle Burion, Sandy Haze, Paige Berry, & Chris Morelli. Surrogate sons and their wives: Donavan and Darlene Thiel, Dwayne and Marion Thiel; her dear friend Dean Thiel. Her life-long friends: Christine Hobbs, Rose Koenig, Vivian Christianson, Verna Monson, Ruby Bruington, and Marge Ketterling. Her very special great nephews: Donny, Sandy and Michael Reetz and their Mother, Chou Reetz. Her loving niece, Terry Schreck,who has been faithful in sending weekly greetings. Ramon ?Buck? Zempel, John Schafer, Mona Zempel-Roper, Duane Schwartz and a host of other nieces, nephews, friends and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and son Richard, and all of her siblings: Paul, Dorothy Anderson, Fritzie, Elsie Reetz, Harley and Richard Schreck and her dear nephew, Jim Reetz. Loretta, has requested that memorials be directed to the Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center in Bismarck, St. Johns United Church of Christ in Hebron and the St. Alexius Hospice program in Bismarck. Rejoice in her Lord and Savior in saying: ?Welcome home, thou good and Faithful Servant?.


Burial Date: August 15, 2006
Funeral Home Hebron, ND

Funeral Service: Tuesday, Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center Chapel, Bismarck