Larry Olson
We were raised on Beaver Creek 1 mile north and 3 west of
Grainola, OK. On a few hundred acres
plus leased ground of a few sections. He
was the oldest and I think he was perfect in every way. As a younger brother by 3.5 years he was my
teacher and boss when Dad was not around.
We were always work aholics (is that a word) in work and play. If we were not working with the cattle, hogs
or chickens we were fishing and hunting up and down Beaver creek and I should
say for hours and hours at a time. Mom
never worried about us as she knew we would come back if we got hungry.
We raised registered Herefords and commercial cross cattle
and what seemed like thousands of hogs.
It was not. We also raised row
crops like maize and corn plus alfalfa and wheat. Every year we raised and showed cattle and
hogs for the Osage county livestock show.
I would say the highlight was when Larry won the grand champion steer
and I won the reserve grand champion steer.
Of course, Larry was an excellent livestock judger and until he
graduated high school and started judging at OSU, he was the best, but he
taught me to be the best after he left.
One year while on the OSU livestock judging team, he was also one of the
judges who took judging the orals at livestock shows. He gave me the worst score I ever received
only to find out it was the best score he gave.
I was mad as hell at him until I found out. I won the judging contest. He was a great teacher.
Larry was always the best and most organized and it showed
when he was at the highest level in Boy Scouts, 4-H, baseball where he pitched
a perfect game, hunting where he was the best and fastest shot in quail hunting
and red squirrel hunting. Raising cattle, hauling and bailing hay, driving a
tractor, giving speeches at the state speech contests, in his studies
valedictorian and at OSU the Presidents honor roll, he even ironed his own
shirts. He was like a nut that does not
fall far from the tree, he was just like mom in perfection and like Dad in
working hard and long every day. He was
always a leader in 4-H, the Methodist Youth Fellowship, and Oklahoma Hereford
Association where he was President at one time.
Larry was amazing with all the nieces and nephews and my
daughter Wynter was the first one. He
would do anything she asked including having a fake tea party or watching the
Smurfs. He was the same with every child
in the family and in particular Ryan Crow who wrote the following and I read
this to him not 10 minutes before he passed:
Uncle Larry,
You will never know how special you were to
me. You're the reason I know how to fish and why I love it so much. You taught
me everything I know. I remember the day you showed me how to put the pink
bubble gum fluke on my hook. I caught a pretty big bass shortly after that. I
also remember the day we were on the boat on Richard's pond and I accidentally
hooked a bob wire fence that was in the water. I felt so bad but you helped me
out of it. I can't tell you how many times I hooked trees, fences, or grass and
you always talked me through it and got it out and I never lost the bait. You
mean so much to me and always will. I can't wait to fish with you in heaven and
catch the biggest fish we've ever caught. I love you Uncle Larry and always
will. Thanks for everything you've taught me.
I guess I should mention a couple things he
was not perfect in, at least in my mind.
Once when he was about 12, we were supposed to burn off some dead brush
piles. Well, we poured about a gallon of
gas on the pile then Larry bent down on his knees with a match and it exploded. It burnt his eye brows and the hair on the
front and sides of his face. Luckily his
skin was ok. Another area where he was
not perfect was when he ran over me with the truck. Basically he pinned me between the barn and
the truck and I still have a crease in my leg to prove it. It was the only time I ever saw him cry as he
thought he had killed me.
Here is Larry‘s (Dr. Olson) fishing lunch menu: beanie weenies, Famous Amos cookies, Cheez-its
and there might be some Baby Ruth’s.
Those are his standard meal while fishing.
Thanks for listening,
A Life Well Lived, Dr. Larry W. Olson,
By Gary Olson (brother)
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