Wendell John Olson, 92, of Concordia, MO, died Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at his home.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia, with Pastor Michael Pottschmidt and Pastor Andrew Lehenbauer officiating. Burial with military rites will follow in St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Concordia. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Concordia. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Good Shepherd Auxiliary or Northwest High School Alumni. An online guestbook is available at www.campbell-lewis.com.
Born September 4, 1933, in rural Hebron, NE, he was the son of the late Walter Olson and Helen Lewis Olson. Wendell was baptized into the Christian faith on April 1, 1934. In 1937 during the great depression, the family moved to Pettis County, MO. Wendell started the first grade in 1939 in the new Hughesville School and graduated as valedictorian from Hughesville High School in the Class of 1951. He attended CMSU-Warrensburg until being drafted into the Army in 1954. He completed training as a radio and code operator and assigned to several military locations during the Korean era, Cold War training, and Army of Occupation, Germany WWII. He participated in Operation Gyroscope when the First Infantry Division returned to Ft. Riley, KS, where he was honorably discharged. He returned to CMSU until he was employed by AT&T Long Lines Department at the Aullville Repeater Station.
Wendell saw a young lady with a pretty pink car and met on a blind date. He married Myrna Pape in 1958, and they shared 67 years living in a happy marriage. He chose to live in Concordia because he liked the Christian-friendly community and did not plan to move any other place. He became an active member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in 1957.
He enjoyed working for the telephone company for 44 years which included open wire, telegraph, coax cable, radio relay. In 1985 he was involved in engineering,
installation, and maintenance of the first inter-continental fiber cable route between St. Louis and Kansas City, where he looked forward to starting work each Monday. In 1992 he was selected to represent Missouri to serve with 54 members on a nationwide program to prevent underground damage which is now known nationally as 811.
Retiring in 1999, he was a self-taught artist, finding junk and creating yard art. He enjoyed giving tours of the collection of the unusual displays.
He also volunteered many hours to improve rural health care, serving on several hospital boards including, Sweet Springs Community Hospital and Health Midwest, Lafayette Regional Health Center over 30 years, seven years as chairperson.
Wendell was founding chairperson of several local health care foundations for Lafayette and Saline Counties, including Concordia Live Well Clinic, I-70 Medical Center and Health Forward Foundation of Greater Kansas City and organized the Concordia Neighbor Watch program in Concordia and several surrounding towns.
He was a real estate developer in Concordia, owning and operating several businesses and started the Golden Award Plaza Association. Wendell was a member of Concordia American Legion, a life-time VFW member and Society of the 1st Division.
In addition to his wife, Myrna, survivors include two sisters, Alyce Miller, Jackie (Leonard) Butler; two brothers, Jerald Olson and Larry Olson; and several nieces and nephews.
Wendell was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Helen Olson; three sisters, Lorraine (Price) Jackson, Lucille (Leon) Hartz, and LaDonna (Howard) Nelson; brother-in-law, David Miller; and sisters-in-law, Janette Olson and Joan Olson.
Source: KMZU, The Farm
