Maurice Gordon Oler, 91, Minot, died Monday, September 7, 2009 in a Minot Hospital.

Maurice was born April 3, 1918 at Alden, Iowa, the son of Thomas and Alice (Walton) Oler.He was educated through the sixth grade in Iowa, and moved with his family to McGregor, MN in 1931. He was united in marriage to Luella Seibel on October 26, 1936 in McGregor and they moved to North Dakota to farm her parents' farm north of Velva.

Maurice entered into active duty service with the U.S. Army and served during World War II in the Philippines. He was honorably discharged in 1946, and returned to North Dakota, where he began work as a heavy equipment operator for Truax-Traer Mines near Sawyer. In 1949, they moved to Minot, and he was employed by Minot State College in the Power House and as a mechanic for Asplund Garage.

Later, he was a member of the 49er's Union, and operated draglines and cranes in the construction of various projects in ND, including the Garrison Dam, Lake Darling, Missile silos,& the McClusky Canal. He also helped in the construction of the Fort Peck Dam in MT.

Maurice was a self-educated and creative man. He enjoyed making useful gas-oriented machines and spent much of his free time in his garage making things, such as a backhoe digger, self-propelled snow-blower, elevator for his home and front- end loader. He constructed the Tower-slide at Lucy's Amusement Park and both he and Luella occasionally helped their daughter, Lucy with the operation of that business.

Maurice and Luella established Olerville Trailer Court in 1955.He continued his construction work, and Luella managed the Court. They owned and operated the Court until 1974. During their retirement years, they traveled in RV's throughout the United States visiting relatives and sightseeing. During their travels, Maurice enjoyed helping with remodeling, repair work and construction projects at the homes of his family. Luella died January 28, 2005. Maurice was an avid checkers player and loved to get his family and friends to play a few games with him.

His loving family includes : children: Maurice "Bud" (Bette) Oler, Tye, Texas, Phyllis (Ward) Rosendahl, Sioux City, IA, Lucy (Norman) Cork, Minot, Clayton (Joanie) Oler, Parkers Prairie, MN, Oliver (Margaret) Oler, Burlington, WI; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great Grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Maurice was preceded in death by his parents, wife, grandson, Lamar Oler, brothers, Richard, Paul, Carl, Wilbur, Claire and Earl; sister, Pauline

Funeral service : Friday, September 18, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. in Southside Church of the Nazarene, Minot.
Interment: ND Veterans Cemetery, Rural Mandan, ND.
Visitatio n: Thursday from 2:00-7:00pm in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials are preferred to Southside Nazarene Church, Minot