Marlin Olson

Funeral Services for Marlin V. Olson, 83 of Dickinson will be 10:00 a. m. Saturday, January 8, 2005 at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dickinson with Rev. Steven Tangen officiating. Burial will follow in the Dickinson Cemetery. Military Rites will be by the Dickinson Veteran?s Drill Team. Visitation will be Thursday, January 6, 2005 from 1:00 p. m. to 9:00 p. m. , continuing on Friday from 8:00 a. m. to 9:00 p. m. with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p. m. at Stevenson-Mischel-Olson Chapel. Visitation will continue on Saturday, one hour prior to service time at the church. Marlin passed away Tuesday, January 4, 2005 at St. Luke?s Home in Dickinson. Marlin was born September 6, 1921 at Sims, ND, the son of Martin and Velena (Hoovestal) Olson. Delivered at home, the Doctor left the premature Marlin for dead and indicated so on his birth certificate. Velena, a determined woman, kept Marlin in the oven and fed him whiskey with an eye dropper. During World War II, Marlin was surprised to find he was pronounced dead on his birth certificate. He also discovered his name was listed as Virgil Marlin. Since he was dead anyway, a quick stroke with the pen changed his name to Marlin Virgil. Marlin?s parents were originally from the Almont, ND area. They settled in Dunn Center where they ran Olson Hardware and Funeral Home. As a young man, Marlin spent many hours in the hardware store. His mother was a talented seamstress and since Marlin was an only child, he learned the retail business and the fine art of sewing buttons. After graduating from Dunn Center High School in 1939, Marlin went to Concordia College in Moorhead, MN for one year. He later graduated from the Los Angeles School of Mortuary Science. World War II was in full swing when he finished school and Marlin joined the Army. He was stationed in London as a medic. He planned to marry Phyllis Kobitisch, a teacher from Killdeer, March 21, 1943. However, due to a terrible blizzard, the wedding took place March 22nd. He returned to the service and spent the rest of his army career in London working in a lab and as a sanitary inspector. After two years, two months, two days and too damn long, he returned to his bride in North Dakota. Aaron Carroll, their first child was born in 1946. The young family set out for Mott in 1949 and established the Olson Funeral Home where Marlin also drove the ambulance. Carleen Jo was born in 1949. Marlin became acquainted with Frank Mischel and the two of them opened Mischel-Olson Chapel in Dickinson. The Olson?s established their home in Dickinson and their last child, Cherie Dee was born in 1956. Marlin continued to manage the Olson Funeral Home in Mott until 1962 when he sold it. He owned and operated Mischel-Olson Chapel until 1988 when he retired. While in Dickinson, Marlin was active in the Lions, Masons, Elks, was a life member of the Eagles and an honorary member of the Knights of Columbus. Marlin was also a Shriner and especially enjoyed the Frontiersman activities. His other memberships included the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association where he served as President in 1953, the National Funeral Directors Association, the American Legion and was a tireless volunteer of the Red Cross. He taught emergency first aid and was in charge of the water safety instruction program. Phyllis passed away in 1988. Marlin kept busy and his love of dancing kept him in the swing of things. He found a long time family friend and Stark County native, Eileen Burda to be a wonderful dancing partner and they married on October 26, 1991. Marlin and Eileen enjoyed their summers at Lake Ilo and their winters in Fountain Hills, AZ. They enjoyed taking trips and entertaining friends and relatives. Survivors include his wife, Eileen of Dickinson; a son, Aaron Olson of Bismarck; two daughters: Carleen (Tom) Reiter of Woodbury, MN and Cherie (Robert) Harms of Bismarck; two step-sons: Bob (Charlene) Christensen of Albany, OR and Doug (Lois) Christensen of Dickinson; ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Phyllis and a grandson, Micah Olson. A Memorial for Marlin has been established with the Dunn County Park Board in Dunn Center, North Dakota.


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Burial Date: January 8, 2005
Funeral Home Dickinson, ND

Funeral: Saturday, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church