On February 11, 2008 Stoney Olson, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather was called home. He may have left us in body but never in spirit.
October 8, 1924 in Poplar, Montana, Orville Gilbert was born to Sam and Maggie Olson of Circle, Montana. After Thanksgiving dinner, at the age of four Orville leaned back in his chair, pushed out his stomach, tapped on his hands and said, “me Tony, me Tony,” in reference to a large man in town by the name of Burt Stoney. Earl and Les McCartney corrected him and said, “no, you’re Stoney.”
Even though Stoney only lived approximately 1,500 feet from school, it was a frequent occurrence of his to be late or miss school altogether. In the ninth grade Stoney came home from school and informed his father he no longer wanted to attend school. Sam told him that was fine but “you’re going to sit on that tractor all day and that is where you are going to stay.” Stoney did just that for the next 56 years.
Farming wasn’t the only thing he did. In December of 1949 he married Vera Wolf and celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on December 28, 2007. His daughter Debera was born in June of 1954. Stoney sat on the board for the Farmer’s Union Oil Station for twelve years (between 1956-1967). He became a grandpa twice- once in 1976 and again in 1978. Stoney didn’t do much traveling for there was always something to do on the farm and he did not like to travel in the winter. When he did travel it was big. Stoney and Vera not only left the farm but left the country in 1983 when they went to the Philippines for two weeks and stopped in Hong Kong on the way back. He also attended many conventions and wheat seminars in connection with the elevator and Harvest States.
In 1995, Stoney decided it was time to park the tractors and retire. They moved into Circle in October of that year. As in farming, retirement had a routine: coffee and conversation in the mornings either at Cenex, Schmidt’s Café or Sinclair; in the afternoons it was sodas at the Corner or Vets. The family also grew by 6 great-grandchildren. There was also another big trip, this one was to New Mexico and they came home by way of Las Vegas.
Even though Stoney has left this community physically, “me Tony, me Tony” will be in our hearts and thoughts forever.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 15, 2008 at Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Circle. Funeral Services will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 16, 2008 at First Lutheran Church, Circle. Interment will follow immediately at Riverview Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.stevensonandsons.com. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point has been entrusted with the arrangements.