Blanche Mae (Vold) Olsen

RONAN — Blanche Mae (Vold) Olsen, 87, died Feb. 2, 2007. She was born March 4, 1919, to Albert and Rose Vold in St. Paul, Minn. They moved to northeast Montana shortly thereafter.

In 1925, her mother died during delivery of her brother, Daniel, who died a few days later. She then went to live with her Uncle Ben Vold and his family who lived nearby.

In 1936 the family moved to Lake County and she graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1938. In June of that year she married Lester Olsen and moved to his farm southeast of Charlo. It was there they reared their four children.

Besides working on the farm, she spent many years working for the Charlo School as cook in the 1950s and as librarian in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Much of her spare time was spent volunteering with the Leon Ladies Aide and the Charlo Senior Citizens. One year she received the Senior of the Year award.

After retiring in 1975, they traveled widely in their motor home, primarily in the West and Southwest. In 1976, her brother, Edward (Bud), died in Plentywood. Lester died in 1980 after 42 years of marriage. For many years thereafter she traveled the United States with senior groups and one year she went to Europe with her sisters-in-law.

In early 2001, she moved to Plains and entered the New Horizons Assisted Living facility and then went into the Evergreen Nursing Home in Hot Springs in 2004.

Blanche is survived by her children, Valerie (Tom) Tompkins of Plains, Carol (Butch) VanTassel, Duane (Jan) and Lynn (Kathy), all of the Charlo homestead; 11 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; cousins that she grew up with, Easton (Margaret) Vold of Spokane and Forrest (Nita) Vold of Sprague, Wash.; her in-laws, Anona Belisle of Pocatello, Idaho, Marjorie Olsen of Kalispell, Lull and Orville Newman of Yankee Hill, Calif.; Darlene Fisher of Kalispell, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services will be today (Thursday, Feb. 8) at 10 a.m. at the Faith Lutheran Church in Ronan.

Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery in Ronan. Luncheon will follow at the Leon Clubhouse in Charlo.

Memorials may be made to the Leon Community Club.