Lee John Olson "Herman" was born on May 26th, 1953 to Victor and Beatrice Olson and grew up in Range, WI on a farm with his siblings Leslie (Goofy), Mary Lou (Lulu) and Keith (K.O./Gumby).  He spent his K-12 years at Amery, where he graduated in 1971.  He was active in band, played the drums and was a football and wrestling manager.  He also participated in 4H and FFA.  Attending UW River Falls, he was active in Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and participated in the Quarter Abroad program in Europe.  He graduated in 1976 with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering Technology.  After a number of engineering jobs, he worked for TetraPak in St. Paul for 14 years as a setup/tech repair engineer.  He traveled much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, China and Hong Kong.  Herman took to the air piloting his own plane which he stored at a hanger in the Amery Airport. On November 15, 1986 he married Susan Martinson-Jurgensen and gained two daughters, Jennifer and Dena.

He was a proud grandpa to Samantha, Max, Zayne, Lance and Nolan and will be watching over a very special great grandson due in April. Herman was a staple in the Wanderoos community, serving on the fire department, the Lions Club and some would argue most importantly… he was always in charge of the remote and the sign up at UW Wanderoos.  Every morning at 10am he would head up to harass the bartenders and patrons at UW and I know they all loved every minute of it.  You just never knew what was going to come out of his mouth.  Herman and Susie owned and operated Port Valhalla Campground from 1996 until "retiring" in 2021 and selling the campground to his daughter Dena where he remained her go-to for instructions and advice until his passing.  He was a great camp host and made an impression on so many during his time there.

Herman also owned and operated Lee Olson Supply, his own machine shop in Wanderoos where he made aluminum baskets and helped people by making parts that were hard to find, if you could draw it on a napkin and give him sizes, he could make it.  He also dabbled in electrical work and was quite resourceful when it came to fixing literally everything unless it involved technology where he would always state "I need to rent a 12 year old to figure this out."  Herman was always making people laugh with his one liners or a quick joke.  Many of you can likely rattle one off by memory, he was one of a kind.

Herman is preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Beatrice Olson; his sibling,s Keith Olson and Mary Lou Olson.  He is survived by his wife, Susan Olson; his daughters, Jennifer Sigsworth (Chad) and Dena Jurgensen (Jason); his grandchildren, Samantha Sigsworth (Tyler), Max Sigsworth, Lance Babcock, Nolan Babcock and Zayne Roepke as well as his brother, Leslie (Patty) Olson, several nieces and nephews, his UW family and special friends Jim and Paula Chisholm.

A Celebration of Herman's Life will be held on April 26, 2026 from 2-6pm at Herman's Shed, 1622 68th Ave., Amery, WI 54001.