Iola Olga Adeline Brendtro

Iola Olga Adeline Brendtro was born October 26, 1918 in Crooks, SD to parents Olaf P. Brendtro and Anne Marie (Oyen) Brendtro. She died on March 24, 2010 at the Good Samaritan Village.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM Monday, March 29, 2010 at West Nidaros Lutheran Church, rural Crooks. Burial will be in the West Nidaros Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation with the family present will be from 5-7:00 PM Sunday at the Church.

Since both of her parents died before she was six years old, Iola and her youngest brother, Lincoln, were raised by their maternal grandmother, Anna Oline Oyen. Iola attended elementary school in Crooks and graduated from Lyons High School in 1936. After a period of part-time work in Crooks and Sioux Falls, Iola enrolled at Mankato Commercial College and completed coursework in spring, 1940.

Iola was employed at the Henry Carlson Construction Company for 69 years; she began as a temporary bookkeeper and subsequently served in several capacities over the years, including corporate secretary and treasurer. Henry Carlson, Jr., one of three generations of Carlsons who headed the family business during Iola’s tenure there, praised Iola for her "unprecedented work ethic and dedication, and unsurpassable knowledge of the construction industry.”

At age 89, Iola was named South Dakota’s 2008 Outstanding Older Worker by Experience Works, a national organization that provides job training and recognition of outstanding older workers. Iola traveled to Washington, DC for the recognition events honoring her and other awardees from throughout the United States.

Iola was a life-long member of West Nidaros Lutheran Church, where she was baptized and confirmed, and in the late 1960s became one of the first women to be elected to the church’s Board of Trustees. She was especially pleased when a log cabin built by her great uncle Iver Oyen was restored and located near West Nidaros Church. Iver played an important role in Iola’s life following her parents’ deaths as he opened his home to his sister-in-law Anna Oline Oyen and her grandchildren Iola and Lincoln.

Iola was a member of the Augustana College Fellows and a generous supporter of several charitable organizations in the Sioux Falls community. She enjoyed traveling, yard work, holidays and spending time with family and friends. She was proud of her Norwegian ancestry and, during a trip to Europe in 1985, was thrilled to meet Norwegian relatives and to visit the Meraker area in Norway where her ancestors had lived.

Iola was a soft-spoken, humble, and unassuming person who was much beloved by her family and friends. She had an ever-present smile, and a warm and loving heart. She was always supportive, always there. Her cheerful spirit and her example of hard work, dedication, and grace were an inspiration to others, and she was highly respected by all those who knew her. She was blessed with a positive outlook on life, and she maintained this spirit to the very end. Sharing in the lives of her families brought great joy to Iola, and she will be sorely missed.

Iola was preceded in death by her parents and the grandmother who raised her as well as her four brothers and three sisters-in law: Floyd (Ruth), Kenneth (Bernice), Merton (Clara), and Lincoln Brendtro. Iola will be lovingly remembered by her nieces and nephews and their spouses - Gary (Mary) Brendtro, Kristi (Ken) Main, Judy (Jerry) Wold, Larry (Janna) Brendtro, Don (Astrid) Brendtro, Susan (Wendell) Buus, Paul (Mary) Brendtro, Joan (Jeff) Mahalko, Sandi (Bill) Gallatin; her sister-in-law Stella Brendtro; and many great-nieces and nephews. In addition to the Brendtro family, Iola shared her life with her adopted family, Herb and Evelyn Olson (deceased) and their daughter, Juli Olson Rothenbuehler, with whom she lived. The Brendtro family is grateful to Juli and her family for loving Iola and sharing their lives with her.

Memorial gifts may be directed to the Oyen/Hanson Log Cabin Fund, West Nidaros Endowment Foundation, or Augustana College.