Obituary of Duane Allen Olson

OLSON, Rev. Duane A., age 86 of Bloomington, MN, Professor Emeritus, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, died Dec. 8, 2015. He was born in Grand Forks, ND and raised on his family’s farm near there, receiving the first eight grades of his education in the local one-room country school. He went on to graduate from Central High School in Grand Forks, ND, Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN, and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. For 42 years (1953-1995), following his ordination into the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church on May 17, 1953, he served consecutively: (1) in Madagascar as a missionary pastor and seminary professor under the Malagasy Lutheran Church, (2) as The American Lutheran Church mission executive for South Asia and Madagascar, and (3) as Professor of Mission on the faculty of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN., until his retirement in 1995. He was preceded in death by his parents, Philip and Emma Hoverson Olson, his brothers, Levon and Dennis, his sister, Joyce Helms, and his first wife, Arda Ensrud Olson. He is survived by his second wife, Constance Lovaas Beck, his children, Jon (Jean) Olson, Kathryn (Richard) Jefferson, Philip (Caren) Olson, James (Cathleen) Olson, Karen Zibolski and Laura (Steven) Houfek, his step-children, Paul (Maribeth) Beck and Carol (James) Flaten, 14 grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, a nephew, a niece and numerous other relatives and friends. Private interment. Memorial Service 11am Saturday, Dec. 26th at Oak Grove Lutheran Church, 7045 Lyndale Ave. So., Richfield, MN with visitation one hour prior to service at church. Memorials preferred to: Oak Grove Lutheran Church, Luther Seminary, Global Health Ministries, or Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. www.cremationsocietyofmn.com