Dorchester Times: Dorchester's Kevin Olson Passes At Age 69

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Dorchester's Kevin Olson Passes At Age 69

Kevin L Olson, 69, of Dorchester passed away August 19, 2022 in Lincoln. Kevin was born in Oakland, Neb. on June 30, 1953 to Vernon and Norma (Lueninghoener) Olson.

He graduated from Exeter Public School in 1971 and went on to Southeast Community College in Milford earning a degree in diesel technology in 1973. He was employed by Horizontal Boring and Tunneling in Exeter until starting his employment for the Saline County Roads Department in 1994, where he worked as a maintainer operator for 25 years until he retired in 2019.

Kevin married Carol Vnoucek at the United Methodist Church in Exeter on Oct. 27, 1984 and to this union a son, Cale Robert was born.

Kevin loved to be outdoors, farming, fishing and hunting, especially with his son Cale, nephew Jerod and cousin Ed Olson. He raced ProAm stock cars primarily at Beatrice Speedway in Beatrice but also ventured to Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Midwest Speedway in Lincoln, Butler County Fairgrounds in David City, and the State Fair stock car races. He raced for over 27 years (1973-2000), making many memories with close friends Roger Klein, Tony Schweitzer, Jerome Ekeler and many more. Kevin was inducted into the Beatrice Speedway Hall of Fame in 2012. He was a big NASCAR fan, not to miss a race on Sunday afternoons on television. His son Cale was named after NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Cale Yarborough.

Kevin loved being around kids, especially at the track, and was so proud when Cale and Jennie became parents of Waylon Harold and made him a grandparent. Kevin always had a dog and loved each and every one of them but especially Barn, Comet and Scout.

Kevin is survived by his son Cale (Jen) and grandson Waylon of Dorchester, former spouse Carol Olson of Dorchester, mother Norma Olson of Crete, siblings Mike (Sharon) Olson of York, Cheryl (John) Bullard of Lincoln and Keith (Michelle) Olson of Friend. One nephew Jerod Olson of Seward and three nieces, Amy Jappert of Lincoln, Sarah Menyweather of Lincoln and Abbey Schluter of Gretna. He is preceded in death by his father Vernon, sister Diane, and grandparents Ed and Fern Olson and Arthur Lueninghoener and Emma Sohl.

Kevin’s wishes were to be cremated with no visitation or funeral service. A Celebration of Kevin’s Life will be held at the Dorchester Legion at a later date. Memorials may be given to the family for future designation. Arrangements entrusted to Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete.

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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."