Ernie Olson
May 18, 1913 - September 28, 2009
Obituary
Ernie Olson
Ernie was born May 18, 1913 to Charles and Ola Umpelbee Olson on a homestead outside of Turtle Lake, ND. He died September 28, 2009 in Federal Way, WA at the age of 96. Ernie attended grade school and high school in Golden Valley, ND where he was president of a class of 12, graduating in 1933. On July 24, 1938, Ernie married Edna Sasse in Bismarck, ND. A son, Clifford was born in 1945, and a daughter, Carol Ann was born in 1953. Ernie began work at Northwest Airlines in 1946 as a Customer Service Agent in Bismarck. In 1948 they relocated to Bow Lake Airport in Seattle, later to become SeaTac International. While working for Northwest Airlines, Ernie met such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe, who he personally escorted to her locker and generously donated the 10cent fee, and Elizabeth Taylor, who he provided with aspirin for her migraine headache. One of the ‘perks’ in working for the airline was the travel privileges. One of the most memorable trips was the 30 day, $99.00 per person round the world trip, traveling to Europe and the Orient. In 1955 the family moved to a tract home in Aquacene in Federal Way. In 1966 Ernie was promoted to Passenger Service Supervisor. He retired from Northwest Airlines in 1976 after 30 years of service. Ernie and Edna sold their home and moved to Quail Run Condominiums, where Ernie served on the homeowner’s board, and later became the ‘mayor’ of Quail Run. In December of 1978, his only grandchild, Tonya Nicole Walls was born. Tonya married Joe Poole in 2003. They Blessed Ernie with two great-granddaughters, Nicole, age 4 ½ , and Hailey, age 2 ½ . Ernie’s final destination was Village Green in Federal Way where he has lived for the past 10 years. Over the years, Ernie has met many friends, whose lives he has touched in some special way. His favorite quote is ‘Count your life by smiles not tears, count your age by friends not years.’
The Village Green will never be the same – I am really going to miss you. It was a pleasure to call you a friend; you are the true definition of a gentleman. King Ernie will live forever in my memory!