Richard L Oleson

Richard L. Oleson went to be with his Lord on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2010. He was the loving husband of Lillian B. Oleson who preceded him in death in 2001. Richard is survived by his daughters and their spouses: Richelle and her husband Carl Emerick of New Market, Maryland, and Sandra and her husband Tommy Joe Kuka of Denver, Colorado. He was dearly loved by his grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren: Brandon Stumpf and Samantha McKnight and their children Bailey and Sydney; Heidi Walsh and her children Ryan and Nathan; Korina and Todd Keller and their children Bethany, Nathaniel, Gabriel and Lillie; Holly and Vic Lozano and their children Madison and Emma; Michael Emerick and his sons Eli and Rowan; Steven and Robin Emerick and their daughter, Katrina and her husband Kenny and son Owen; Scott Emerick and his daughter Ali; Tom and Hope Emerick and their son Troy. In addition, he is survived by many nieces and nephews who dearly loved him and extended family both in Denver, Colorado and in the Walla Walla/Milton-Freewater Valley. Richard was born in Idaho, November 10, 1914, and when he was three moved to Iowa. He lived there until he returned to Idaho when he was 18. He farmed with his brother Albert and two years later married Albert's sister-in-law, Lillian in September of 1935. Sisters marrying brothers brought these two large families very close together and they spent many hours together worshiping, eating and laughing! Richard and Lillian farmed in Idaho until 1952 when they moved to Walla Walla, Washington. Richard and his brother Sigurd co-owned a machinery business. Following the dissolution of that business he worked in farm-related areas until his retirement in November 10, 1979. Richard and Lillian moved to Milton-Freewater, Oregon in 1968. After his retirement, Richard continued to work part time with Mel Lyon & Co in Milton- Freewater. Richard was very handy and helped Mel in many capacities. Throughout their lives, Richard and Lillian both gave much to the churches and communities in which they lived. In 2002, Richard moved to Denver, Colorado to be near his daughter, Sandra and her family. He moved into the Clermont Park Independent Living Center where he resided in his apartment until his death. He missed Lillian very much; however, adapted to his new life with the spirit that brought him resilience throughout his entire life. He was very active in his new community, singing in the choir, serving as a volunteer, playing pool and Wii bowling, mentoring kids from the elementary school next to his community, making wooden cars for Toys For God's Kids. Richard embraced life in Denver as he had previously, enjoying new friends and extended family, teasing the residents where he lived, loving everyone and enjoying Denver Bronco games with Sandy and Joe and anyone else who would watch with him. He often had visits and phone calls from relatives and friends and he loved each and every visit and/or phone call. Richard's strong Christian faith sustained him until the end of his earthly days. He was peaceful and never wavered from his faith. He continued to have his positive outlook and traversed challenges gracefully often saying ""we gotta go with what we've got!"". Memorial services will be held at Clermont Park Independent Living Center in Denver Wednesday, December 29th at 10 am. A Memorial Service and Burial will be in Milton-Freewater and Walla Walla on January 7, 2011. Burial will be at Blue Mountain Cemetery at 1 pm and Memorial Service will be held at 2:30 pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church at 325 SW 6th Avenue, Milton-Freewater, Oregon 97862. In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions can be made to The Denver Hospice, 501 S. Cherry Street #700, Denver, Colorado, 80246, Christ the King Lutheran Church Scholarship Fund, 325 SW 6th Avenue, Milton-Freewater, Oregon 97862 or Clermont Independent Living Center, 2479 S. Clermont St., Denver, Colorado 80222. 2010 Christmas Greetings to you from Denver: I am rejoicing this Christmas Season for my Lord's gift of another wonderful year. I celebrated my 96th birthday in November. What a blessing! For my birthday, I bought myself a cherry-red Rascal (scooter) to enable me to get around better! I am able to go for my ""walks"" without getting winded! I am enjoying my new ""toy"" and the new freedom I have to get around. I load my oxygen on the scooter and away I go! The picture on this letter is of me and my Rascal. After a couple of years of renovations we have an updated and beautiful new facility in which to live. With new comes change and some of us are having more difficulty than others adapting to the changes. I am confident that all the ""bugs"" will be worked out and that ""old dogs can learn new tricks"" and soon everything will just be routine again. With the opening of the new renovations came the return of the pool table. I was not sure I would ever play pool again; however, I am enjoying getting my game back! Sandy comes a couple times each week and a group of us still Wii bowl. We have lots of fun bowling in our chairs. My highest score is 244, not bad for a 96 yr old! I have three wonderful Hospice caregivers each week. Each one is a special blessing to me and helps me very much. Although Sandy and Joe are here many times a week, the caregivers give them comfort and help also. My year has been blessed again with many visitors. Most recent were Richelle, Carl, Bran and family for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to have both daughters and their husbands, two grandchildren and their families together. We shared a great feast together at Kori and Todd's nearby home. Such fun. I look forward to each and every visit and thank each of you for taking the time to stop by to see me. You have no idea how much that means to me. I also look forward to the frequent calls from my family, nieces, nephews and friends. Each call brightens my day and makes me smile. I also enjoy each card, letter and picture you send to me. Please know that each touch from a loved one brings joy to my heart. My wish for you this Christmas season is continued health and happiness plus guidance and wisdom from our Father in Heaven. God Bless You! Fondly, Rich