Larry Burton Olson, 83, passed away peacefully in his sleep, December 2, 2017, on his family homestead on the Fairfield Bench.

Larry was born in Great Falls on February 25, 1934, to his parents, Marjorie and Burton “Bud” Olson. He attended Great Falls High School.

He married the love of his life, Hallie Delano Jenkins, in Fairfield on May 21, 1954. They had four children, Kyle, Kim, Karin and Keeley, and raised them on the family farm north of Fort Shaw. Larry farmed wheat, barley and hay, raised cattle and horses, and was well known for being able to repair all manner of machinery, necessity being the mother of invention. He also drove bus for the old Crowe School, where his three eldest children attended grade school. Larry began working heavy equipment in the 1960’s, joining the International Union of Operating Engineers, and earned a good living for his family working on many of the largest projects across Montana, including the Minuteman missile installations, dams and highways, and innumerable major buildings and other constructions.

He enjoyed boating, fishing (especially for king salmon in Alaska), hunting, skiing, and watching sports of all kinds. He had a lifelong love of cars – racing stock cars when he was young, always trying to have a hot family ride, and once driving around an Indy car super speedway. He took pride in his farm and maintaining his yard.

He was very active in the local Good Sams Club, covering many miles of open road in his motorhomes to gatherings across Montana, as well as trekking from Alaska to Mexico and everywhere in between. Larry and Hallie were once elected “King and Queen” by their fellow club members. In retirement, the happy couple enjoyed wintering with dear friends in Yuma, Arizona where they maintained a second home.

By far his proudest achievement was being a loving, supportive father to his children, who always knew he was there for them and loved them unconditionally. Larry and Hallie also opened their home to friends and relatives, providing a loving home to many teens over the years.

Larry is survived by his wife, Hallie Olson of Fort Shaw; daughters, Karin (McGrath) of Chugiak AK and Keeley Olson of Anchorage; sons, Kyle of Alexandria VA and Kim of Fort Shaw; sister Myra Schilling of Shelby; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

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