Olive Sims

Monday, September 21, 2020 6:26 pm

Olive Sims, age 97 of Decorah, passed away on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah.

Her funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 at the Schluter-Balik Funeral Home, 604 South Ave in Decorah with Rev. Melissa Bills presiding.  Burial will be in the Lutheran Cemetery.    

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service on Thursday at the Schluter-Balik Funeral Home in Decorah.

Everyone attending is asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

Olive Ruth (Fretheim) Sims was born on March 23, 1923 to Olaf and Ruby (Loney) Fretheim in Madison Township of Winneshiek County. Olive attended school in Decorah and St. Charles, MN. 

Olive worked at and later owned Town and Country Gifts for over thirty years and enjoyed helping many couples with their bridal registries and wedding plans. After retiring, Olive still enjoyed working with people. She worked at the various elections and with her son Jim at Radio Shack.  She also worked with her daughter-in-law Elaine at Elaine’s and with her daughter Kathy at her business Hale’s too!  She always wanted to keep busy and help wherever she could and enjoyed all the people she worked with.  Olive was an avid dog lover and enjoyed taking her dog CoCo to the dug road to watch all the walkers and to be outside.

Olive married Harold “Simmy” Sims in Castle Rock, MN in 1942, and they spent most of their married lives in Decorah.  Together they had three children: Donald who died at birth, Jim and Kathy. They enjoyed many summer-weekends fishing and going to the beach with good friends on the Mississippi River in Harpers Ferry.

Olive was a long-time member of the Decorah Chamber of Commerce, First Lutheran Church, and the VFW auxiliary.

Olive is survived by her son: Jim (Elaine) Sims, Decorah; daughter: Kathy Ransom, Decorah; six grandchildren: Phil (Jean) Sims, Mike (Kim) Sims, Corey (Beth) Sims, Justin Ransom, Andrew (April) Ransom and Nicole Ransom; and six great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband: Harold Sims. Son: Donald. Parents: Olaf and Ruby (Loney) Fretheim. Sister: Arlene (Ervin) Rasmussen. Brother: Herb (Ruth) Fretheim. Mother and father-in-Law: Norman and Isabell Sims.  Brother in law: Bill (Dolly) Burdick. Nephew: Ken Burdick.