Raymond Leon Olson

He was born on the Reep Farm on April 15, 1932, in Nelson County, North Dakota, and he attended school in the nearby town of McVille.

Though Raymond was not old enough to serve in the military during World War II, during the war, he was issued a driver’s license in 4th grade. He was ten, and those who were old enough were needed for military service, so he assisted his country by driving farm trucks loaded with the season’s harvest to various storage facilities.

He moved from Nelson County to Bigfork, Montana, during his junior year in high school, but returned to North Dakota and attended Mayville State University, which was established in 1889 as a school for teacher training. He received his Bachelor of Arts from MSU with majors in English and History.

Raymond then began his first teaching assignments at the high school level in Wolf Point, Montana, before teaching in a Girl’s Reformatory in Idaho, and then teaching in Yakima, Washington. However, he eventually made his way to San Bernardino, California, where he was fortunate enough to meet Patricia in 1959. They were both new to San Bernardino, both beginning careers in the same school district (where dad would teach English in middle school), and both from frigid regions in the country—Patricia from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Yet, despite their chilly upbringings, both were blessed with the warmest of hearts, and both were blessed with the passion to travel, their years filled with many adventures of driving across the country. With his wife, his four children and the Nomad trailer in tow, he would drive his family from state to state, from relative to relative and from adventure to adventure.

After Raymond retired and his four children flew from the nest, he moved to Menifee, California, where he lived until his passing.

Raymond is preceded by his parents, Harry and Blanche Olson, his beloved aunts, Sylvia Sanders and Agnes Anthony, and his uncles, Albert and Melvin Olson.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Olson, his three sons, Scott, Ross, and Kurt, and his daughter, Joy. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren, Anissa, Joelle, Dakota, Haley, Austin, Lauryn, Riley and Ayden.

He will be sadly missed. He was a man of adventure, a man dedicated to his wife and family, a man dedicated to God, and a man who will be cherished in many hearts for many years to come.