OLE ABELSETH [Obituary]

Ole Abelseth, 94, of Hettinger, ND, a survivor of he sinking of the oceanliner Titanic, died Thursday, December 4, 1980 at the Hettinger Community Memorial Hospital.
Funeral services for Mr. Abelseth were held Monday, December 8, 1980, at 11:00AM at the Hettinger Lutheran Church with Reverend Peter Humlie officiating.
Interment was at the Glendo Cemetery, rural Ralph, SD, with Walby Funeral Chapel of Hettinger in charge of arrangements.
Pallbearers were Willard Korsmo, Reeder, ND; Gordon Romness, Hettinger, Boyd Abelseth, Ralph, SD, David Locey, Federal Way, WA, Jimm Omodt, Sandpoint, ID; and Mark Omodt, Rawlins, WY; Ted Van Slooten, Hettinger, Harold Abelseth, Rapid City, SD.
Music was provided by Mrs. Kurt Erdmann and Cynthia Erdmann.
It was April 14, 1912, that the Titanic went down nd 1,517 persons died. A brother-in-law and a cousin of Mr. Abelseth's were among those lost. Returning from Norway where he had been visiting family and friends after an absence of nine years, he was among 690 people who survived the tragedy.
Ole was born June 10, 1886, in a small fishing village, Alesund, Norway. In 1902, he came to the United States with his brother, Hans, homesteaded in Perkins County, SD. After the fateful trip on the Titanic, he tried to put the incident behind him by traveling for several months, in Canada, Indianapolis, and Montana.
Finally in 1913, he settled down in Perkins County, SD, and ranched until 1946 when he retired to Reeder, ND. He then lived in Washington State for awhile before moving to Hettinger, where he lived until his death.
His wife, the former Anna Grinde, was 100 years old when she died in 1978.
He is survived by one son, George Abelseth, of Ralph, SD., two daughters, Helen A. Locey, Mill Valley, CA., and Mae Omodt of Sandpoint, ID., eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial fund to purchase reference books has been established at the Minnie Erlandson Library in Hettinger.