Francis Thomas \u2018Bud\u2019 Oleson, 89, of Helena, passed away on January 1, 2011 at the VA Hospital at Ft. Harrison in Helena, MT.<\/p>\n
On October 26, 1921, Bud was born at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Havre to William and Dora Oleson. He went to grade school in Landusky then returned to Havre, where he attended 2 years of High School.
\nBud came to Helena in 1939 and worked for L.P. Barney Construction as an Apprentice Carpenter. In 1940, Bud joined the National Guard. He served in the 163rd Infantry Unit, part of the 41st Infantry Division and was honorably discharged on August 15, 1945. The 163rd was a part of the Occupational Force in Japan and after Pearl Harbor; the 163rd consisted solely of Montanans. He fought in the New Guineas jungles and the Pacific Theater, Philippines.<\/p>\n
After being discharged, Bud returned to Montana and went to work for Standard Oil, building the first Gas Stations in Montana. He was instrumental in building the first television broadcasting antenna. He injured his leg as a result of a fall during construction and subsequently became part of the first TV news broadcast in Helena.<\/p>\n
In 1945, Bud married Betty Baird, later they divorced. They had two children, Doreen Filson and Jerry \u2018Butch\u2019 Oleson. Doreen and Butch reside in Helena. On August 27, 1960 He married Zona Raymond. They had a son, Scott Oleson who resides in Billings. Zona had two children, Debbie and Vern Raymond, they also reside in Helena.<\/p>\n
Bud was an avid hunter and fisherman in his younger years. He enjoyed history and reading about Montana\u2019s history. He and Zona owned and operated Bud and Zona\u2019s Bar at Canyon Ferry Lake until the late 1970\u2019s when they retired.<\/p>\n
Survivors include his wife Zona; their children and spouses; grandchildren and great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.<\/p>\n
A Memorial Service is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, January 6, 2010 at Retz Funeral Home Chapel. Burial with Military Honors will follow the service at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Ft. Harrison. A reception will follow the burial at the Service Club on the Fort. To offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Bud, please visit www.retzfuneralhome.com.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1023459.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","family_email":"","family_first_name":"","family_last_name":"","event_title5":"","event_date5":"","start_time5":"","end_time5":"","location5":"","address5":"","city5":"","state5":"","zipcode5":"","event_title6":"","event_date":"","start_time6":"","end_time6":"","location6":"","address6":"","city6":"","state6":"","zipcode6":"","event_title7":"","event_date7":"","start_time7":"","end_time7":"","location7":"","address7":"","city7":"","state7":"","zipcode7":"","event_title8":"","event_date8":"","start_time8":"","end_time8":"","location8":"","address8":"","city8":"","state8":"","zipcode8":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/23276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}