Allen Dean Olson,  59, son, brother and father, died Sept. 23, 2016.

A celebration of Allen’s life will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at Rudes Funeral Home in Brookings with burial to follow at First Lutheran Cemetery.                                            

Allen was born in Vermillion on July 25, 1957, to O’Dean  and Ardys Olson.  The oldest of seven, he moved to Niagara Falls N.Y., for a short time until the family moved back to Kadoka ,later settling in Pierre.

Growing up in Pierre, Allen excelled in many ways as he was an avid sports enthusiast and had a love of both basketball and tennis.  He also played trombone throughout his young life and was a member of the honor society.  He graduated from Riggs High School in the spring of 1975 and later attended the School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City, beginning in the fall of 1975.  After his tenure at the School of Mines & Technology, Allen took a sabbatical where he worked as a ranch hand which he found quite rewarding, raising sheep and working the land giving him an honest appreciation of the earth and it’s inhabitants.  Allen soon after made the decision to attend pastoral college in Pasadena Calif., where he graduated with his pastoral degree.    

Allen served as senior pastor for the World Wide Church of God settling in Cincinnati,  until his medical retirement.  Suffering from Huntington’s disease, he had many challenges and was placed in assisted living and later the nursing home at the Heartland of Madeira in Madeira, Ohio, where he later died.

 Allen is survived by his father, O’Dean Olson; brothers, Michael Olson, Mark Olson (Deb), Troy Olson (Kazumi) and sisters, Sharleen Schreter (Jeff), Melinda Tollefson (Mike) and Sara Weiss (Dave); his daughter, Ashley Olson and a grandson of Ohio and many nieces, nephews, several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Allen was preceded in death by his mother, Ardys Olson, both maternal grandparents; uncles, Rodney and Marlin Hill; aunt, Eleanor and great-nephews, Thomas and Matthew Hill.