Donald E. Oursland (Ossie)

Irene, SD

1938-40, 791, Lightning Creek, F-14,

Donald Oursland was born March 17, 1919, to Elias and Louise (Kjonegaard) at Westerville, SD. At age three he moved to Irene, SD with his family. Following his graduation from high school in Irene, Don attended the CCC Camp in the Black Hills. In 1938-40, he went into the Army Air Corps where he served in France, England and Germany during WWII. He was the recipient of the Bronze Star, European Theatre Service Medal and three overseas service bars. He received his honorable discharge in 1945.

He was united in marriage to Johanna Fischer on September 8, 1946, at Excelsior, MO. The couple made their home in Kansas City, MO, where Don attended telegrapher school. After returning to Sioux Falls in 1949, he began working at J. Morrell and Company. He retired in 1981, after 32 years of service to the company.

Don enjoyed bowling, playing horseshoes, and fishing at area lakes with family and friends. He also enjoyed solving cryptograms. He loved to spend his free time reading. He was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and VFW Post 628.

Don’s quiet and unassuming spirit, tempered with his warm sense of humor, will be long remembered and cherished.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Johanna Oursland, Sioux Falls, SD; daughters, Donna Wiemann and her husband, Paul, Arden Hills, MN, Debra Carlson and her husband, Mark, Long Lake, MN; granddaughter, Jacqueline Donna Carlson, Northfield, MN; and sisters, Marjorie Wiens, Sioux Falls, SD, and Myrtle Hanson of California. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Nick Wiemann on September 4, 2002.

The family of Donald Oursland thanks you for your support and presence today. An invitation is extended to join them at the church for refreshments and fellowship following the funeral service.

Funeral Service 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, 2004 Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Private Interment Hills of Rest Memorial Park Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Below from camp newspaper Lightning Flashes May 1940.

Who's Who in CO. 791
DONALD E. OURSLAND

From Lightning Creek's Side camp, twenty-three miles west, in Red Bird Canyon, comes this month's Who's Who Donald Oursland. "Ossie," as he is better known by his many friends at Side Camp, was enrolled at Sioux Falls on July 12, 1938. His home is in Irene, SD.

He was a member of the main camp until April, last year, when he was selected among the group to be sent to side camp. During his stay in main camp, Oursland did commendable work in the field, and was also a valuable player on the camp basketball team, the Lightning Flashes. It was one of the camp's best teams, winning the consolation of the Southern Hills bracket.

Soon after his arrival at Red Bird, his conscientious work and ability was recognized and he was made Canteen Steward. Along with this job he was property custodian and in charge of tool conditioning. A new recreation building with a pool table and canteen, similar to the one in main camp, added to Oursland's responsibilities, and the manner in which he assimilated them was commendable. Oursland will be leaving this month, having completed the two-year limit and we are sure, looking over his records, that through his efforts and others like him, Red Bird Side Camp of Co. 791 of the Civilian Conservation Corps has achieved the top rating - superior.

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