Darlene M. Olesen

IN MEMORY OF
DARLENE M. OLESEN

BORN
March 12, 1930
Sutherland, Iowa

PASSED AWAY
April 16, 2011
Sanborn, Iowa

MEMORIAL SERVICE
10:30 A.M. Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Gaudian-Eldridge Funeral Home; Paullina, Iowa
Rev. Daniel Wagner ~ Officiating

MUSIC-C.D.’S
“Who Left The Door To Heaven Open”
“Climb That Mountain High”

HONORARY CASKET BEARERS
Shawn Puhrmann Shannon Puhrmann
Bennett Lowery Rodney Sheldon
Gerald Lange Bill Burns
Duane Ahrens

FINAL RESTING PLACE
Waterman Cemetery
Sutherland, Iowa

Memorials may be directed to the
Prairie View Retirement Home in Sanborn.

At the request of the family there will be no luncheon following the service, thank you for participating in Darlene’s celebration of life.

Arrangements under the care of the
Gaudian-Eldridge Funeral Home Paullina, Iowa

DARLENE META (ZAHREN) OLESEN
Darlene Meta Braunschweig was born March 12, 1930 in Sutherland, Iowa, to Wilhelm Carl Braunschweig and Anna Ella (Wagner) Braunschweig. Darlene attended rural school and graduated in 1948 from Peterson High School. Darlene was married to Charles Edward Zahren in 1950. They had three children, Terry, Mary and Tammy. In 1988, Darlene married Wayne Dawson and in 1991, she married Howard Olesen. Darlene and Charles owned Chuck’s Standard Service Station in Sutherland for twenty some years. Darlene worked many many years as a nurse aid, medication aide, and cook. She began her nurse aide career at the Spencer Hospital and after she was married, began work at Millie’s Rest Home in Sutherland. She later worked at Cherokee Mental Health as a resident treatment worker and as a medication aide. She left Cherokee Mental Health and moved to Bagley, Iowa and was employed at the Rowley Masonic Memorial Home in Perry, Iowa as a cook. Darlene moved to Neosho, Missouri and again worked as a cook in a nursing home, until her retirement. Darlene moved back to Iowa in 1999 and lived in nursing homes in Spencer, Sutherland and Sanborn. In December 2010, Darlene moved to Prairie View Home in Sanborn. She loved her new home and enjoyed meeting many new friends. She had very special relationships with many of the nurse aides. They often teased her and she always had a remark or laugh in response. She loved those aides and she would compare ‘their ways’ to ‘her ways’ when she was an aide. Darlene became ill last week and after a two day hospital stay, returned to her home to receive hospice services. She entered the gates of heaven on April 16, 2011, excited to reunite with her son Terry.
Those here to celebrate her life are daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Miles Puhrmann, daughter, Tammy Zahren-Lowery, daughter-in-law, Judy Zahren; grandchildren, Shawn and Kimberly Puhrmann, Shannon Puhrmann, Bennett Lowery; great-granddaughters, Brandy Cuthbertson, Brittany Cuthbertson and Amber Miller; great-great grandchildren, Devlin Slater and Kiah Hackett. She also leaves her twin sister, Arlene Sheldon; sister-in-law, Vivian Braunschweig; nieces and nephews, cousins and many dear friends.
Darlene is preceded in death by her son, Terry; her parents and a brother, Burdette.
Darlene was a woman of her word. She called a spade a spade and was willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed it. She spent her life giving of herself to others, whether it was caring for the elderly and the mentally ill, giving someone a ride, baking something for someone, sharing home-canned chicken to the entire neighborhood at Christmas, or taking time to talk. It was her nature to make others feel good and she received satisfaction from doing so. Darlene was a true friend to many and enjoyed sharing her time with her church groups and Cheerful Workers Women’s group. She loved bird watching, playing cards, going bowling and fishing, baking, making salads, gardening, canning fruits, vegetables, and jams or jellies. Her hobbies over the years were varied and included toile painting, crocheting, reading, ceramics, word search puzzles, playing hand bells with the Sutherland Bell Choir, singing in the choir, and taking bus trips with her friend Elaine. Darlene was a daily viewer of Fox News knowing each reporter by name. She especially enjoyed O’Reilly and Hannity. She knew more about the world events and news than her kids and family. She’d say “well, why you don’t know that stuff, you should!! How do you know what’s going on in the world.”
Darlene will be missed and remembered by many. Please help us not to mourn her death but to celebrate her life.