The Norman Transcript
December 19, 2000
Norvell Leon Olson, 75, died Friday, Dec.15. Services were held
Monday at the McCafferty-Bolick Funeral Home Chapel with Rev.
Joe Howard officiating. Burial was at the Tonkawa IOOF Cemetary.
Mr. Olson was born Nov. 27, 1925, on a farm near Lamont to Foster
Bee Olson and Moree C. (Black) Olson. The family moved to Tonkawa,
where Mr. Olson attended school and graduated from Tonkawa
High School.
Swede, as he was known to his friends, played center on the Tonkawa
High School Buccaneers football team. He also played center for
Oklahoma State University, Northern Oklahoma College and Northwestern
Oklahoma State University football teams.
During World War II, he served in the navy in the Pacific Theatre amphibi-
ous operations, the assault and capture of Iwo Jima, Volcano Island,
Okinawa, Ryukuss Islands, and the occupation of Aomori, Honshu, Japan.
He served on the USS Bayfield with the 5th Division 5th Jasco Marine
Corp. He participated in a 50th anniversary Commemoration of the Iwo
Jima for Oklahoma Iwo Jima veterans, held at the state capitol on Feb.
27, 1995, and he enjoyed the Iwo Jim Survivors Association meetings
in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Mr. OLson was employed in public schools as a teacher, coach, junior
high principal, high school principal, superintendent of schools and
counselor. He retired after 43 years in education as a counselor in the
Norman school district.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy (Ellis); two children, Sandra Nemeth
of Houstan, and Foster Olson of Norman; a grandchild, Samantha Nemeth
of Houstan; his mother, Moree Olson of Tonkawa; and a sister, Donnice
Snow of Oklahoma City.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Tonkawa Education Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1, Tonkawa, Ok. 74653.
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