Norman "Bud" Ferdinand Olson

Norman "Bud" Ferdinand Olson, 90, passed away on March 1, 2026. Per Dad’s wishes we are having a private family graveside service.

Born July 3, 1935 in Albert Lea, MN to Norvald and Alvina (Hedensten) Olson. Bud grew up in Glenville, MN on the family farm. He attended grade school in Country School District 35 and graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1954. He married Katherine “Kathy” Dixie Oudekerk on September 14, 1957.

Before getting married, he worked at Erlandson Implement. He was a member of Glenville First Lutheran Church. In 1960 they bought the family farm and lived there until 2023 when declining health required them to move to Albert Lea, MN.

After buying the family farm he, alongside his wife, raised thousands of chickens and sold eggs, along with crop farming. After selling all the chickens, they just did crop farming until they started raising beef cattle in 1991. Bud collected old Case tractors. In his younger years, he went to many farm auctions, painted/restored tractors, grain trucks, and vehicles. He could fix almost anything, and when he wasn’t farming he was in the shop working on something. He and his wife were in a card club for 60 years. He enjoyed a couple of cruises with his wife, daughters, and sons-in-law. One from Vancouver, Canada to Alaska and one from New York to Nova Scotia, Canada.

Bud is survived by his wife of 68 years Kathy, Albert Lea, MN; sons Bruce Olson, Hayward, MN, Steven (Barb) Olson, Albert Lea, MN; daughters Karen (Ross) Quam, Albert Lea, MN, and Sara (Scott) Belbeck, St. Augustine, FL; and brother-in-law John Baade.

He is preceded in death by his parents Norvald and Alvina (Hedensten) Olson; brother Lowell (Corky) Olson; mother-in-law Elizabeth (Hank) Oudekerk; brothers-in-law Ralph Baade, Charles Oudekerk, Janet Baade; and special neighbor Foster Jenson.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff of both Thorne Crest Skilled Nursing and St. Croix Hospice for their compassionate care, kindness, and dignity they gave Bud while he was in their care.

In lieu of flowers or memorials, we kindly request that you remember Bud in your thoughts. Dad instilled into each of us a strong work ethic and a profound sense of right and wrong. Dad will be deeply missed.