Wayne Herbert Olson

Wayne H. Olson, age 95, Clark, longtime Clark businessman, former owner/operator of Olson Motor's, died peacefully in the Golden Living Center early Thursday morning, March 20, 2014. His loving wife Fern of some 71 years was at his side along with other family. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 3-5PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and after 9AM at the Church on Monday morning. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 24, 2014 at 10:30 AM in the Assembly of God Church at Clark with The Reverend Kevin Petersen officiating. Dorothy Fuller will be the pianist with congregational singing. His wife Fern will provide special music singing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" and his granddaughter, Michelle Sherman with a violin solo. Burial with full military rites by the Cagley-Smith American Legion Post #60 of Clark and the South Dakota Army National Honor Guard will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The active casketbearers will be his grandchildren with the honorary casketbearers being the great-grandchildren. He was born Wayne Herbert Olson in Merton Township, south of Clark, on December 16, 1918, the son of Alfred and Gertrude (Humphrey) Olson. He attended country school and then Clark High School graduating in 1936. Following high school he attended a business college in St. Paul, MN. Wayne served his country honorably from 1942 until 1945 in the United States Army. On June 5, 1943 he was united in marriage to Fern Collier at Oshkosh, WI. After his discharge from the Army, the couple moved to Clark and in 1946 went into partnership with his father, Alfred and his brother, Orville at Olson's Motors. He was associated as bookkeeper, parts man, and selling all Ford Motor Products from tractors to cars to pickups with Olson Motors until retiring in 1980. Even though he was retired, Wayne stopped by the office nearly every day. In addition to the operation of Olson Motors, Wayne was very active in many other businesses in Clark, helping start the Clark Lanes, the Clark Development Corporation serving as the Apartment Manager for many years, and in the community was a bank director for Citizens/Dacotah Bank, the Cagley-Smith American Legion Post #60, the South Dakota Automobile Dealers Assn.- serving in various capacities, and the Clark Area Chamber of Commerce. He has been an active and faithful member of the Clark Assembly of God Church, served as the Church secretary/treasurer for many years, and also was a Gideon. Wayne loved to spread the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ and lived that also during his lifetime. In his free time, he enjoyed nightly bicycle rides after supper with his wife Fern, camping after his retirement, many years of traveling in the summer time and being busy with the grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his parents and siblings, Orville, Glenn and Elsie and a niece, Mary Lou. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife of over 71 years, Fern of Clark, James (Marilyn) Olson of Tulsa, OK, Jerry (Dianne) Olson, John (Helen) Olson all of Clark and Larry (Sylvia) Olson of Fayetteville, Ark, 11 grandchildren, Michelle (Dan), James (Cassie), David (Janice), Michael (Fran), Natalie (Jeremy), Lisa (Todd), Jennifer, Kathryn (Chris), Elizabeth (Mychal), Leah (Robert) and James; 22 great-grandchildren, Saralyn, Andrew, Archer, Samantha, Anika, Mason, Olivia, Lauryn, Evan, Avery, Maverick, Brittany, Aaron, Caleb, Devin, Conner, Ryder, Saylor, Valley, Ivan, Avalon and Truman. Furness Funeral Home of Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com