Obituaries

ALBERT HELMER OLSON It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our loving husband, father and grandfather at the Grace Hospital on Sunday, August 10, 2014, at the age of 84. Left to mourn Albert are his wife Hazel (his best friend for the past 59 years); their three children Mark (Leslie), Brenda (Chris) and Diane (Allan); and grandchildren: Kevin, Laura, Alana, Ryan and Connor. Also left to mourn are his brother Stanley, his sisters Dolly, Thelma and Irene, family and extended family members and his many, many friends. Albert is predeceased by his parents Jens and Astrid Olson, his brother Elwood, and his grandson Drew, who lost his life in a traffic accident in 2006 at the age of 17 and will always be in our thoughts. Albert was born in Inwood, Manitoba, on July 31, 1930. He left home at age 15 to work for Ontario Hydro, creating a new hydro development on Lake Superior. He then took up an apprenticeship in plastering in 1948 and, in 1953, started his own plastering and stucco company. Albert went on to a very successful career in home building, land development and other related projects. Albert was a proud member of the Masonic Lodge #145, the Optimist Club of Assiniboia, the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club and Breezy Bend Golf and Country Club, where he golfed with the same group for many, many years. Albert was also an accomplished curler: he was a three time Canadian Men’s Senior Curling Champion and was inducted into both the Manitoba and Canadian Curling Hall of Fame. Albert was a true optimist who was warm, positive and had a real gift for making everyone around him feel special. He was a great talker who loved to laugh and put smiles on the faces of everyone he met. Albert could often be heard saying there’s no way life could be better… which was fitting because that is the way he lived his life to the end. He was a great believer in the power of positive thinking and the forces of the universe working together and always said that is what made him successful. Albert will be greatly missed by his family, his friends and by the many people he touched. A celebration of Albert’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 15, at Grant Memorial Baptist Church, 877 Wilkes Avenue. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of one’s choice. For those who can’t make it to the celebration and would like to share a story or add a comment about Albert, they can go to Albert H. Olson Memories on Facebook or visit the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ 915762561772323/Publish Date: Aug 13, 2014ALBERT HELMER OLSON On Sunday, August 10, 2014, Albert died at the Grace Hospital at the age of 84 years. Funeral Arrangements and a longer obituary notice will follow. Wojcik’s Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 2157 Portage Avenue, 204-897-4665, in care of arrangements. wojciksfuneralchapel.comPublish Date: Aug 12, 2014   As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on August 13, 2014