Obituaries

ORVILLE ALAN OLSON

JANUARY 28, 1934 – MARCH 30, 2026

Shortly after midnight on March 30, 2026, Orville passed away peacefully at the Lion’s Manor, Winnipeg, Manitoba at the age of 92.

Orville was born in 1934 to Helen and Olie Olson. It has been said Olie walked to the tracks to the city to see his son. Orville stayed in school finishing grade 8.

He married Merie Della Morison on the 20^th of April, 1956. Grant was born in 1957, Doug in 1959 and Donna in 1963.

Orville worked many jobs throughout his life as well as farming for a number of years; United Grain Growers, Brett Young Seeds, School Bus Driver which he purchased to haul kids from Springstein to school in Starbuck, this was the 1^st Yellow School bus in town. Orville helped Howard Clifford build a few houses. After that he started working for Wyatt Rentals at Confusion Corner. Everybody knew where to go if they needed to rent anything. When the new rink was built, he was always bringing whatever they needed to get stuff done.

He was well known and did lots for the community. After Donna was born, we moved ½ a mile East of Starbuck on the highway on 16 acres along the river. This was a great place for us to grow up. There was lots of stuff to do on a farm, chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle and a pony. We had a go-cart, snowmobile, motorcycles and dad helped each of us get our first cars. He was a GREAT DAD!

Dad had many, many friends over the years. Everyone got together to put on snowmobile races in the winter and baseball tournaments in the summer along with Beer Gardens.

In 1981, Mom got cancer and it was a rough four years. Mom passed away on the 25^th of March, 1985.

Two years later on the 17^th of October 1987, dad married Doreen Valentine Jackson. After Doreen retired, they started wintering in Texas. They moved to Glendale Courts around 2004 until they were not going to be able to stay living there near the end of 2025. After months at the Grace Hospital and a month at Deer Lodge, Dad got in to the Lion’s Manor where Doreen was already at. Doreen was in the South Tower and Dad in the North Tower, so they were able to get together fairly often. They had two different chapters in their lives, but I am sure they were equally as good.

Orville was predeceased by his mother and father Olaf and Helen Olson; his first wife Merie Olson (nee Morison); daughter Donna Merie Olson; sister Eileen Anderson and brother-in law Robert Anderson; brother Norman Olson; daughter-in-law Bev Olson (nee McCullough), and step-grandson Michael McCullough.

He is survived by his second wife Doreen Olson (Jackson, Rioux), her sons, Bill (Veronica) Jackson and their children Olivia Jackson (Brendan) and Billy Jackson, son Kelly (Charlotte) Jackson and their children, Cody (Camilla) Jackson and MacKenzie (Evelyn) Jackson; his sons Grant Olson, step-granddaughter Michelle Kroeker (McCullough), Doug (Carol) Olson and their children Tannis Olson and Dale Olson; sister-in-law Carol Olson and many nieces and nephews.

A very special thanks to the great care dad had at The Grace Hospital, Deer Lodge and Lion’s Manor.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 43 River Avenue, Starbuck, Manitoba on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

Honorary Pallbearers: Lee Williamson, Rick Morison, Norbert Tanguay, Brett Paulhus, Gary Anderson, Tom Irwin and Dalton Harvey.