RONALD LYLE OLSON
"THE LEFSE KING"
BLAIR, WISCONSIN

Ronald Lyle Olson "The Lefse King" passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday February 1, 2017. Born December 18, 1934 in Blair, WI to Prie and Bessie (Lindow) Olson, Ron spent all of his school years in Blair. In high school, he played fullback on the first football team at Blair High School, scoring the first touchdown in school history and many thereafter. He played basketball and baseball, and was a state track athlete in the pole vault and hurdles. He played clarinet in the band, and was part of the FFA singing quartet which performed at the FFA National Convention in Kansas City. Ron graduated from high school in 1953.

After high school, Ron attended technical school in LaCrosse and also trained through the Dale Carnegie course. Ron was employed at Olson's Feed Mill, Patz Farm Equipment, and also spent time selling bulk tanks. He married Bernice Bue on August 28, 1954 at North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church in rural Ettrick where he later served as a deacon. In 1965, Ron built the Countryside Drive-In on the outskirts of Blair (currently the Rainbow Restaurant). He hired a small crew of local ladies and started making lefse in the basement of the drive-in in 1966. Ron went store to store selling one package of lefse at a time until the business got off the ground. Within a few years the lefse business had out grown the drive-in basement and Countryside Lefse moved to what was the Gunderson locker plant building in downtown Blair. Ron owned and operated the business for 30 years and officially retired in 1996 when he sold the business to his son Marshall and his wife Amy. He was proud to see the company he built celebrate 50 years in business in 2016. In addition to growing the lefse business, Ron and his family operated a hobby farm outside of Blair.

Ron was ambitious, energetic, had lots of interests, and lived a very active life. He was an avid fisherman and would take trips to Canada or go camping with family and friends at the fishing hot spots around the state. After purchasing a cabin on Potato Lake (because where else would "the lefse king" buy a cabin?), Ron would entertain family and friends with pontoon rides or would take his guests to the best spots for catching muskies and northerns. Ron enjoyed deer hunting on the farm. Even though he was happy to get a deer for himself, he liked to see others succeed in the hunt as well. Ron loved bowling. For many years he sponsored a team through Countryside Lefse and bowled leagues at Tranhaus in Ettrick and The Pines in Black River Falls. His love for bowling continued into his later years when at the age of 69, he resumed league bowling through Lake Henry Estates in Haines City, Florida.

Ron also liked to do carpentry work. He would build additions to the family farm house or would tear down part of the house and rebuild it larger to accommodate his growing family. Ron also liked to travel. He and Bernice would enjoy trips to different parts of the United States with different family members or friends on each trip. His adventures varied from trips to the Badlands, New Orleans, Yellowstone, Nashville, and numerous trips to Florida where he and Bernice would end up spending most of their winters in later years. Ron took great pride in his flower gardens. He would study the flowers he wanted to plant and would find the exact place in the yard where it would look and grow the best (where the deer couldn't eat them). He enjoyed spending time outside and loved making it beautiful.

Ron was an entertainer. He loved to tell stories and jokes and could find humor in almost every situation. He had a tremendous passion for singing and playing guitar. A self-taught guitar player, not a day went by that he wasn't singing, whistling a tune, or tapping his fingers to a beat only he could hear. He was seldom without his guitar and would take it out and play whenever the mood hit him. At the age of 80, Ron started playing the banjo. Throughout his life, it was common to find Ron sitting in his living room chair, singing and playing his guitar after a long day's work. His love for singing and performing continued into retirement. For the last 10 years of his life, Ron sang and played his guitar and banjo at nursing homes in Blair, Whitehall, Pigeon Falls, Galesville, and Black River Falls, Houston, MN, and Haines City and Winter Haven in Florida, donating a large portion of any money received for his performances to the Wounded Warriors Project. At one point, Ron estimated he had performed over 700 times with all the nursing homes combined. The day he died, Ron was doing what he loved and was performing at Grand View Care Center in Blair.

Ron is survived by his wife Bernice of 62 years and his eight children, Michael (Lynn) Olson of Eau Claire, Veronica (Kent) Kuchenbecker of Winter Springs, FL, Marshall (Amy) Olson of Blair, Teresa Olson of Farmington, MN, Robyn (Greg) Wirth of Hokah, MN, Rochelle (Mark) Thompson of Holmen, Matthew (Jessica) Olson of Waukesha, Rebecca Olson of Holmen, 25 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, brothers Wendell (Jan) Olson, Calvin (LaVonne) Olson, Lance (Sally) Olson, and sister Phyllis Duxbury. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Donna (James) Dahl, sister-in-law Shirley Olson, brothers-in-law, James "Tubby" Dahl, Larry Duxbury and LeRoy Johnson.

Funeral services for Ron will be held at North Beaver Creek Faith Lutheran Church with burial in the church cemetery both in rural Ettrick on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at 1:30 pm. Pastor David Hendrickson will officiate. Visitation will take place 1 hour before services.

The Jack Funeral Home in Blair is assisting the family with arrangements.