Clifford Joseph Olson
January 22, 1928 – March 3, 2021
Clifford Joseph Olson, Fort Qu’Appelle, passed away March 3, 2021, at the age of 93.
The Happy Hunting Ground gained a special man … an easy-going, unassuming, hard-working man that liked the simple things in life & didn’t judge. Anyone who knew Cliff will remember the tin of chew in his pocket, coffee in hand & the way he could drop an f-bomb in his quiet monotone for the most comical effect.
He was born on January 22, 1928 to Arnold and Nora Olson (Nelson) on a farm by Govan, Saskatchewan. He farmed, fished & enjoyed his beer in the younger years, joining AA in 1957. We will always be thankful he chose that road & we grew up with a sober dad.
Cliff married Joyce Hilderman in 1958 & their life together started on the farm. They had 3 children, Jo-Anne, Shelley and Boyd. They purchased Govan Café & moved to town in the mid-sixties.
Cliff loved the land & was a true outdoorsman & entrepreneur. Never one to brag, he excelled at most things he did. He was an avid hunter and trapper & was known as a sharp shooter that never missed. He farmed & was known as the “Flax King” in the Govan District. He sold & raced ski-doos, winning many races. Always a fisherman, he took up commercial fishing in the late 1960s & began the Rough Fish Removal Project on the Qu’Appelle Lakes. He moved the family to Fort Qu’Appelle in 1973 & purchased the Antepwa Gun Club on Pasqua Lake. Murray Hilderman became his fishing partner the following year & they formed H & O Enterprises.
In the 1990s he moved to Lipton with Boyd, Raina and Austin, continuing to hunt & work with Boyd until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010. He moved into Echo Lodge in 2013. He fought hard but as the disease progressed we lost little pieces of him at a time.
Cliff is survived by the mother of his children & friend-to-the-end, Joyce Olson; his children; Jo-Anne (Darren) Kline, Shelley (Swayde) Wright & Boyd Olson; grandchildren; Trevor Huber, Jayden & Nightli Wright (Thomas), Raina & Austin Olson, siblings Allan (Anita) Olson & Elsie Buchanan; in- laws, Murray (Pat) Hilderman, Vivian (Don) Horosko & Eileen Brewer; nieces, nephews & friends.
Cliff was predeceased by his parents; Arnold & Nora, siblings; Phillip, Shorty, Alice & Margaret, in-laws GA & Granny Hilderman & his little buddy Bomber.
Rest easy Dad. Our hearts are filled with so many happy memories.
A Celebration of Cliff’s life will be held at a later date.
Arrangements entrusted to Conley Funeral Home, Fort Qu'Appelle SK.306-332-0555.