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- Edward B. Olson, age 71, retired building contractor died of a heart attack at his home Monday at 1:15.
Funeral services were held this Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock at Hahn's Chapel with the Rev. Vernon I. Graf of the Moravian Church officiating. Pallbearers were C.D. Brower, Jr., William Stephan, Matt Propsom, John Conlon and Sylvan Baudhuin of this city and Ephraim Brodwick of Manitowoc. Burial was at St. Joseph's Cemetery.
Mr. Olson was a native of Carnot in the Town of Forestville, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Ole (Sigrid) Olson. He grew up on the farm and became a cheesemaker at the age of about 14, but as a youth of 20, he took up the plastering trade. His biggest plastering contract was the St. Joseph's Church in this city. Success at this work resulted in his going into general contracting and over a period of many years, he built some of the county's best known structures.
Among the well known buildings for which Mr. Olson had contracts were the Masonic Temple; Moeller's Garage; Pleck Dairy Plant; the former Door County State Bank; DeBroux Garage; Bursen Garage and Congress Bowling Alley and Hall in this city, as well as numerous filling stations.
Among many residences built were the palatial homes of Capt. John Roen on Memorial Drive and P.R. O'Brien at Kangaroo Lake. In addition, he built the sewage disposal plants in this city and at Amherst and Hilbert, Wis; the bank building at Maplewood; the Maplewood Schoolhouse and the Gilbraltar High School. Besides buildings, Mr. Olson did considerable paving and sewer and water work. Among major paving jobs was concreting Cedar Street and Union Streets, which are now Third and Madison Avenues respectively.
For many years, Mr. Olson's hobby was harness racing. At one time, his stable had as many as four horses. Some of the best known to racing fans at the county and state fairs were Mae Verton, Ben Harp, Fred R. Jr., Helen Watts and Helen Strong. Helen Strong became his property in the late thirties and immediately made racing history here by setting a new track record of 2:06-3/4. Followers of harness racing recall that Mr. Olson got Helen Strong at a bargain because she was too hard to handle and the former owners were amazed at Mr. Olson's skill in breaking the horse before his first season ended.
After a couple years of cleaning up on state tracks, Helen Strong was sold at a fat profit to a Milwaukee stable and was put on the grand circuit.
Mr. Olson was married to Miss Mildred Hebert on September 16, 1903. She passed away in July 1948 and on October 19, 1949, Mr. Olson was married to Mrs. Leona Bebo, who still survives, together with three children by the first marriage. The children are Mrs. Harry (Dorothy) Bridenhagen and Vernon E. Olson {4/1/1905-7/5/1975}, of Sturgeon Bay and Roy Olson of Amherst, Wisconsin. One son Kenneth is deceased. Also surviving are two sisters Mrs. Ole Viste and Miss Tillie Olson.
©Door County Advocate, December 27, 1951 page 1
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1881 - 1951 (70 years)