Dale Olson

Dale Lee Olson, 89, a 1949 graduate of Decatur Community High School, died Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, at Prairie Senior Living Complex in Colby.

He was born March 13, 1931, on the family homestead in rural Herndon in Rawlins County, the son of Robert L. and Hattie (Schmidt) Olson. He attended Plainview Rural School and was confirmed in the Herndon Covenant Church.

He attended Kansas State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1953. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years followed by four years in the Reserves, attaining the rank of Airman First Class. He moved to Washington State in 1957, where he was a soil scientist in several locations for the Department of Agriculture until retiring in 1993 at Pasco, Wash.

He enjoyed skiing, reading, fishing and square dancing and was awarded a Bachelor of Square Dancing from the American Square-Dancing Society in May 1985.

He moved to Colby in 2011 and lived at Fairview Estates Retirement Center until moving to the Prairie Senior Living Complex.

Survivors include a brother, Robert W. Olson, Celina, Texas, and a sister-in-law, Mary Lou Olson, Herndon.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Keith Olson; a sister, Maxine (Bill) Peebles, and a sister-in-law, Sally Olson.

A graveside service will be held at a later date at the Oberlin Cemetery. Memorials have been established to Prairie Senior Living Complex or Herndon Covenant Church, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, Kan., 67701