Lorraine Olson

Lorraine Ruth Olson, of Fargo, ND, passed away peacefully on May 20, 2024, at the age of 91.

Born on November 30, 1932, near Fort Yates, ND, Lorraine was the daughter of Rudolph and Anna (Schlecht) Wolf. Due to her mother falling ill, Lorraine selflessly interrupted her high school education after two years to help raise her three younger sisters. She later completed high school through correspondence work and received her G.E.D. diploma. Lorraine and former husband, Robert Pribbenow (1950), had five children together. She then married Orvin Olson on April 29, 1967, in Fargo, ND, with whom she had one child.

Lorraine enjoyed bowling, winning multiple trophies over the years. She also loved crafts such as crocheting, painting, ceramics, and more, which led to her opening her own business in 1980, called “Lori’s Gift Shop.” There, she offered classes and molded her own ceramics. After her second husband’s death, she sold the shop and moved to Wahpeton, ND, to attend a year-long computer course at NDSCS. Thereafter, she moved to Fargo and worked as a receptionist at Nodak Supply from 1991–1994. After deciding full retirement did not suit her, Lorraine returned to the workforce, working part time performing janitorial services for various companies. She had a green thumb and had a particular love for Christmas and Easter cacti. Her living room window perpetually displayed a vibrant array of these cacti in various stages of bloom.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her parents, Rudolph and Anna Wolf; her husband, Orvin Olson; her sister, Jane Miller; and her son, Keith Pribbenow. She is survived by her other children, Warren (Kathy) Pribbenow, Horace, ND; Naomi (Allen) Hall, West Fargo, ND; Gene (Debra) Pribbenow, Colorado Springs, CO; Glynn (Ginella) Pribbenow, Rockwall, TX; and Sandy (Petra) Olson, Moorhead, MN. She is also survived by nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and her sisters, Sadie (Arlen) Haarstick, Pelican Rapids, MN; and Mae (Larry) Johnson, Theodosia, MO.