Olson, Arlie Eugene (1928-2019)

OLSON, JOHNSON, MEHUS, GALLAND, SCHENIAN, PHELPS, SHANKLIN

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 10/11/2019 at 19:22:45

Arlie Eugene Olson
September 20, 1928 - August 29, 2019

On August 29, 2019, Arlie Eugene Olson, of Lake Mills, Iowa, loving husband and gifted father, passed away at the Lake Mills Care Center at the age of 90.

Arlie was born on September 20, 1928, at his grandparents’ farm near Ogdensburg, Wisconsin, to Hanford and Alice (Johnson) Olson. Baptized and confirmed at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Iola, Wisconsin, he graduated from Iola High School in 1946. From 1946 to 1948, Arlie attended Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, where he sang in the Waldorf College Concert Choir. After working as a cabinet maker, he was drafted into the United States Army in 1950. The following year, he married his sweetheart, Joan Margaret Mehus, of Belmond, Iowa.

During the Korean War, he served in Germany as a supply sergeant in the U.S. Army of occupation. Discharged in 1952, he took an electronics correspondence course that set him on the path of television sales and service, and in 1959, he started his own business, Olson TV and Radio, located in Lake Mills, Iowa. After Arlie retired from the electronics business in 1990, he and Joan enjoyed traveling and spending their winters in Arizona, Texas, and Alabama.

Arlie had a passion for all kinds of woodworking, and whatever he built, he did with precision. He, also, loved music, and he combined these two passions to create fine handcrafted musical instruments such as sweet harps and hammered dulcimers. Blessed with a beautiful singing voice, Arlie was a soloist for many weddings, funerals, and other church functions. An active member of Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, he served on numerous boards, sang in the choir, and directed the choir for several years. In addition, he helped establish the Lake Mills Volunteer Ambulance service as a charter member and as its first president. Still a “techie” at age 90, he enjoyed managing his laptop, iPad, and iPhone. Moreover, he had a special relationship with his grandchildren, who loved him dearly. Known as a man of faith and a man whom many people regarded as a friend, he will be dearly missed.

Arlie is survived by his wife, Joan; his son, Steve (Nancy) Olson, of Forest City, Iowa, his daughter, Christine (Steven) Phelps, of Maplewood, Minnesota; his grandchildren: Jesse (Melanie) Olson, of Joice, Iowa, Jon (Virginia) Olson, of Davenport, Iowa, Michael Olson, of Forest City, Iowa, Lee (Pamela) Galland, of Grant, Minnesota, Allison (Ryan) Schenian, of Woodbury, Minnesota, Taylor Phelps, of Honolulu, Hawaii, and his sisters, Janet Mehus and Ardelle Shanklin, of Iola, Wisconsin; along with seven great grandchildren, several cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hanford and Alice, and infant twin sons, Daniel and David.

A funeral service will be held at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills with Pastor Melinda McCluskey officiating. Military honors by the Otto Chose Post #235 will be conducted following the church service. Visitation is scheduled for Monday, September 2, 2019, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Mittelstadt Funeral Home, 902 East Main Street, Lake Mills, and will continue for one hour before the church service on Tuesday. Following the funeral, cremation will take place and Arlie’s ashes will be buried on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, at 11:00 AM at St. Olaf Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Belmond, Iowa.

The family wishes to thank the staff of the Lake Mills Care Center as well as of the North Iowa Hospice for their loving kindness and support accorded to Joan and family. They, also, want to express thanks and appreciation to Pastors Joel Guttormson, Melinda McVey McClusky, and Kevin Olson for their spiritual and prayerful support.

Mittelstadt Funeral Home, Lake Mills, Iowa, 2019.

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