JOHN A OLSTAD

JOHN A. OLSTAD

John Olstad, of Hope, North Dakota, passed away on Saturday May 23rd, 2026, at Luther Memorial Home in Mayville, North Dakota. He was surrounded by friends (staff members) and family.

John Arland Olstad was born April 2nd, 1931, to Alvin and Annie (Haugen) Olstad. He was born on a farm near Galesburg, North Dakota, and was the second oldest of four children. He attended a rural one room schoolhouse for his primary education, and his farming experience began young, when he was around five years old, which grew into a lifelong passion. John joined the Marine Corps on April 8th, 1953, and was deployed to Korea where he was a radio operator during the war. He returned to the United States after the war and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, where he met the love of his life, Elvira DeEtta Giortz. John and Elvira married on November 3rd, 1956. They returned to the Hope/Galesburg area, where they raised their three children, Gail, Robert, and Nancy.

John had many passions throughout his life, all of which he enjoyed to their fullest extent. Family was first and foremost his greatest passion. He was a dedicated father, grandfather, great grandfather, son, brother, uncle and great-uncle and nothing made him light up quite like being surrounded by his family over a Sunday brunch. He also had a knack for making friends feel like family. Everyone was welcome at his table, and he would happily spend an afternoon catching up with friends over a cup (or realistically an entire pot) of coffee. He had an easy laugh and a quick wit, always at the ready with a joke or a playful jab, followed by one of his famous full belly laughs. No one was safe from his teasing, and everyone was made better because of it.

John was the kind of man who lived and breathed farming and, unless called in by his wife for an early lunch, he was nearly impossible to get out of a field. When he could no longer climb down the tractor steps, his son and grandson worked with USDA to procure a lift for him, and he was still farming daily until he was 93 years old. When he wasn’t in a field, he was likely mowing his lawn, and when he wasn’t mowing, he was likely building something. After the service, John built a prolific construction business, helping to build, shingle, or repair many of the houses and buildings in the tri-county area. However, he wasn’t just a contractor, he was also a teacher. If you worked on John’s team, you couldn’t help but learn from him. Today, he leaves behind a legacy of the buildings he constructed as well as a lasting impression of knowledge imparted to everyone who worked with him.

John knew how to spend his time well. He was an avid fisherman, was never without a book by his nightstand, and under no circumstances did he EVER miss a Minnesota Twins or a Minnesota Vikings game. He enjoyed birdwatching, going on road trips with his friends and family, attending sporting events for his children and grandchildren, and giving treats to any animal that had the good fortune of meeting him. Everything he did in his life became stories he would later tell, and man could he tell a good story. He was kind, patient, and lived with the mindset, “Be kind to your neighbors”.

John is survived by his three children, Gail Olstad, Galesburg; Robert Olstad (Dawn Nelson), Galesburg; Nancy Olstad (Brad Saxerud), Fargo; two grandchildren, Jake Olstad-Werre (Ericia Mendoza), Larimore; Parker (Sara) Olstad, Hope; two great-grandchildren, Jaxen and Raven; sister, Sandra (Barry) Kutzer, Fargo; sister-in-law, Sherri Olstad, Fargo; many nieces & nephews and his many, many friends. He is preceded in death by his wife, Elvira Olstad; parents, Alvin and Annie Olstad; brother James Olstad; sister Marjorie Anderson; and one grandchild, Nicole Olstad-Werre.

The Family would like to extend thanks to all the staff of Luther Memorial Home for the wonderful care and loving family environment that they created.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Luther Memorial Home and/or Elm River Cemetery Fund.

Dress is Casual, the more denim and suspenders the better 

A Memorial Service will be held Tuesday, June 30, 2026 AT 2:00 pm in the Elm River Lutheran Church, Galesburg, ND, visitation will be one hour before.