Fern B. Olson, 90, of Reeder, ND, passed away on March 23, 2015 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Reeder, ND with burial to follow in the Rosehill Cemetery, Reeder. There will be a family and friends service set for 7:30 p.m. at Krebsbach & Kulseth Funeral Home in Bowman, ND.

Fern was born on June 10, 1924 at DeSart, ND to Alvin and Alvina (Kenitzer) Baumann. She was raised on a farm near DeSart and was where she had an accident and lost her hearing at the age of 4. Her mother took her to various doctors even in Minnesota to find help for her but she never regained her hearing. They found the School for the Deaf at Devil's Lake, ND where Fern attended from age 9 through her freshman year of school. She was supposed to start school at the age of 8 but a house fire prevented her from attending and had to wait an additional year. It was very traumatic and scary for her to be away from everyone and everything that she had known. During her time there she was a bright and excellent student. She learned how to communicate through sign language and also to speak. In those years they told parents and siblings not to learn to sign so that the student was forced to learn to speak. In addition to her regular school classes she participated in dance classes such as tap & the Hawaiian hula, plays, and attended confirmation. She was confirmed in October, 1942. She made many lifelong friendships through her years at the School for the Deaf. Then in 1943 the Baumann family bought and ran the Baumann Hotel in Reeder. Fern returned to her home and began school at the Reeder Public School where she graduated in 1946. It has been said that she was the only deaf person to graduate from the Reeder Public School.

Five days after graduation Fern married Vernon L. Olson on June 5, 1946 at Baker, MT. Vernon and Fern lived and raised their family in Reeder. After all her children left home, Fern went to work at the Reeder Public School as a part-time janitor for nearly 26 years. She took great pride in her work and kept the school as spotless as possible. She became a "Grandma" to many of the school children and loved it when she could teach them a little sign language through the kindergarten teacher. Due to health reasons, Fern retired with great regret in October, 1996. Vernon moved into the Southwest Health Care Long Term Care in Bowman in 2001 and passed away June 3, 2004. Fern continued to live in her own home and in the Reeder community until she became ill on February 26, 2015.

Fern spent time crocheting, doing embroidery and hand crafts, reading, watching TV (particularly her soaps). With the birth of closed captioning on the TV it helped her to enjoy programs even more. She loved flowers and plants and enjoyed working in the dirt.

Fern was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Circle, and quilting group, Prairie Pioneers Senior Center, and an American Legion Auxiliary member for nearly 69 years.

Fern is survived by her four children: Mary Nash of Sturgis, SD, Peggy (Roger) Fadness of Dickinson, ND, Tim (Jan) Olson of Rock Hill, SC, and Jerry (Marlene) Olson of Fargo, ND; 7 grandchildren: Heath (Darcy) Nash, Justin Nash, Brian (Cheryl ) Fadness, Brenda (Bob) Osendorf, Jamie (Rachel) Olson, Nick (Nikki) Olson, and Kristen (Chuck) Tomanek; 9 great grandchildren: Cole and Matthew Osendorf; Luke, Liz, and William Fadness, Isabella Olson, Mia Olson, and Ciara and Colton Tomanek; 1 brother: Al (Susan) Bauman; 1 sister-in-law: Violet Jochim; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and many wonderful friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon; infant daughter, Betsy Sue; her parents, Alvin and Alvina Baumann; 5 brothers, Floyd, Clarence, Lawrence, Ivan, and Melvin (Bud); 1 sister, Hilda; a sister-in-law and friend, Ida Baumann; and son-in-law, Claude Nash.