June Olson

R. June Olson, 96, of Humboldt, formerly of Bode, passed away on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Long Term Care Unit.

June was born December 27, 1927 in Bennett, Iowa, the daughter of Thomas and Meta (Treimer) Pohlmann. She lived her early years on the farm and moved to Durant with her family when she was in third grade. She graduated from Durant High School in 1945 as class valedictorian. June graduated from Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls in 1948 with a BA in Science and Mathematics. She moved to Bode to teach science and mathematics at Bode High School for three years. During those three years she met a young farmer who turned out to be the greatest blessing of her life. June was united in marriage to Grant Olson December 23, 1950 at Muscatine, Iowa. Their union was blessed with three sons, Robert, Mark and Daryl. June and Grant made their home on a farm north of Bode for almost sixty-five years until they moved to Springvale Independent Apartments in Humboldt in 2015. When their three sons started school, June returned to teaching part time and then full time at Twin Rivers Community High School in Bode. After working on it during summers, in 1970 she earned her Master’s Degree in Student Personnel Services-Secondary Guidance Counseling from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. June enjoyed teaching the many students she had in her science and math classes, also working with them as a guidance counselor. She retired in 1989 after more than 30 years of teaching, although she continued to work as a substitute teacher for a few more years. June was a member of St. Olaf Lutheran Church and active in women’s circles, ladies aid and the sewing group. She served on the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Board and was a poll worker in Bode for many local elections. June enjoyed gardening and baking. She would always offer a snack or a meal to guests that stopped by. June and Grant enjoyed watching school and church activities and programs of their children and grandchildren. They also enjoyed their grandchildren’s visits and sleepovers. She enjoyed family vacations, bus trips and other travel. June and Grant visited all 50 states, Canada, Norway, Denmark, England and Germany. June was a kind, loving and gracious person, always putting others first. She will be especially missed by her family, but the life lessons she gave us by the example of her life is a precious gift. 

June is survived by her children, Robert (Cynthia) Olson of St. Louis, Missouri, Mark (Kay) Olson of Bode and Daryl Olson of Madison, Alabama, her special nephew Phil (Gayle) Sharp of Olympia, Washington (who lived his high school years with June and Grant after his parents died), her grandchildren, Brendon Olson, Elisabeth (Bhavesh) Majevadia, Jeffrey Olson, Daniel Olson, Matthew (Randa) Olson, Brian (Anna) Olson, Philip (Pheakaday) Sharp and Patrick (Stephanie) Sharp, great-grandchildren Savannah, Scarlett, Sapphire and Sennoire Majevadia, Landon, Hudson and Kaden Olson, Jackson, Bowen and Shaylee June Olson, Cyanne and Onyx Sharp, Kaelynn, Madeline and Ryan Sharp, sister-in-law Nancy Riggan of Orange City, brother-in-law Cal Dorenkamp of Mason City and many nieces and nephews. June is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Grant, brothers; William Pohlmann, Leonard Pohlmann and Harvey Pohlmann and sisters; Leona Harmon, Nora Allison, Hilda Meharry, May Sharp and Elsie Riggers.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 29th at the Mason-Lindhart Funeral Home in Humboldt. Funeral Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 30th at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Bode. Burial will be in St. Olaf Cemetery. www.masonlindhart.com