Virginia Louise (Feil) Olson

Virginia Louise (Feil) Olson, 103, passed away March 26, 2025, at Northern MT Hospital in Havre, MT. Virginia was born October 10, 1921, at the family home just outside of Wales, North Dakota. Virginia was the 1st of 6 kids to be born to Emiel & Mary (Hauck) Feil. Virginia grew up on the family wheat farm. She attended grades 1-6 at a local country school and then 7-8th grade at a school in nearby Langdon, North Dakota. After receiving her 8th grade diploma at age 13 she started working to help support the family. Virginia would help local families with cleaning houses and tending children and would also cook for the threshing crew that her dad would run. She talked about cooking full meals for 20+ men over wood stoves at quite a young age. Her Catholic Faith was also a very important part of her childhood and often talked about how they would go to mass every week, no matter what. Even when it meant in the wagon and sleigh, pulled by horses. Next Virginia moved to the West Coast and lived with her Aunt and Uncle in Portland. It was there that she took a job in the shipyards in Portland and gained training to become a Welderette. She was quick to say that she was not a Rosy the Riveter, but instead a Welderette. As a Welderette, they would be lowered into the belly of the Warships and weld the seams of the ships together, vs where the riveters just placed rivets on the ships. When she was 22 yrs old, she met Walter Olson at a Chamber of Commerce Dance in Wenatchee, WA and a romance started to grow. However, in 1944, Walt received his deployment orders for WWII. The two would keep in touch through letters until his discharge in 1945. Walter reached out at this time to see if there still was the chance for a relationship. Walter and Virginia were married on April 28, 1947, at the priest house in Seattle WA. Walter and Virginia lived in Seattle until the spring of 1948 when they moved to Havre, MT to be near Walt's family. On August 17, 1948, their first son Merle was born. Not long after they moved to family ranch at Warrick, MT in the Bear Paw Mountains and moved in with Walts family in a 1 room ranch house. The house had no running water or electricity. Not long after moving to Warrick, Virginia met Patsy Henderson and the two would become lifelong friends and basically like sisters. In September 1949, their second son Duane was born and the family started making plans to build their own home. Walter and his father Eilif purchased a sawmill and Walt with the help of Virginia's father Emiel started building the family home. Walter and Virginia welcomed their third son Ron in January 1952 and shortly after completed their new home and moved in. In April 1956 their family was completed by the birth of their daughter Mary Lou. Virginia spent the next years raising her family and helping with chores on the family ranch. She was also the main welder on the ranch and often told stories that she would have to drop whatever she was doing whenever equipment broke down so she could go weld and fix it. She often stated she was so glad when the boys learned to weld in high school in Big Sandy and this no longer became her duty. Virginia was a wonderful cook, talented seamstress, loved her gardening and flowers, playing pinochle, and crocheting. She always had a beautiful yard with tons of flowers and often talked about how much she loved working in the flower beds and garden. She also was an avid fisherman and loved to fish the banks of Cow Creek and later at the reservoir on the ranch at Warrick. Virginia was an active part of the Bear Paw Belles Community Club and St Margaret Mary's Alter Society in Big Sandy. In 1968 tragedy struck the family with the death of their youngest son Ron. In 1975, Walt and Virginia moved to the farm just outside of Chinook. Tragedy again struck in 1976 with the death of their son Duane. In 1982, Walt and Virginia semi-retired and moved to their current home outside of Chinook. This is where she continued to live independently until her passing. During this time Walt and Virginia were able to travel and enjoy their Grandchildren. In 2006, Walter passed away and Virginia often talked about how she missed him. However, during this time Virginia became very active at the Chinook Senior Center where she rarely missed bingo on Thursdays or a pinochle game. The Senior Center became her social outlet, and she was always welcomed by so many in this wonderful community. When asked what her secret to longevity was, she would reply that she wanted to stick around and enjoy her grandkids, including 10 great grandchildren, as long as possible. Her faith always remained an important part of her life, as a child at Our Lady of Mt Carmel in North Dakota, St. Margaret Mary in Big Sandy, St. Gabriel's in Chinook, and later in life St. Jude Thaddeus in Havre.

She is survived by her son Merle (Joyce) Olson, daughter Mary Lou (Bruce) Butcher all of Chinook MT, 6 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren; Angie (Kevin) Hahn of Portland Oregon, Ronda (Trung) Pham & children Marlee & Carter of Flagstaff AZ, Roger Olson & children Maysen & Brody of Chinook MT, Tami (John) Schoen & children Allyssa, Tyler, Hannah, & Walter of Chinook MT, Kyle (Theresa) Butcher & daughter Ellie of Billings, MT, and Staci (Sam) Yearsley & daughter Avery of Lakeside MT.

She is preceded in death by her parents Emiel and Mary (Hauck) Feil; husband, Walter Olson; sons Ronald & Duane Olson; siblings Leonard Feil, Bernetta (Toots) Metzger, Mel Feil, Ervin Feil, & Delphine Ottesen; and family friend Patsy Henderson.

Her funeral service was held, Saturday April 5 at 11:00 am at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Big Sandy MT with burial at Big Sandy Cemetery. A reception followed at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church.

Memorial donations can be sent to the Chinook Senior Center or Catholic Church of choice.