Obituary of Olaf Earl Selander

Funeral services for Dr. Olaf "Swede" Earl Selander, 84, of Lakeville, Minnesota and formerly of Sioux City and Okoboji, Iowa, will be 10:30 am Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford, Iowa, with Father Thomas Flanagan officiating. Visitation will begin after 5 pm Monday, September 1, 2014 with the family present from 5 - 8 pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. There will be a Rosary Service at 6:30 Monday, followed by a Parish Scripture Service at 7 pm at the funeral home. Interment will be at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Okoboji. Memorials in honor of Swede may be given to The Wounded Warriors Project, Humane Society of Northwest Iowa or St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Dr. Olaf "Swede" Earl Selander passed away on Monday, August 25, in Lakeville, Minnesota, at the age of 84. He was born in El Paso, Texas, on October 13, 1929, and was raised in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Creighton Medical School in Omaha, Nebraska. While in Omaha, he met the love of his life, Patricia Ann Welch. They were married on June 17, 1954, and recently celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary. Once married, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he performed as a Flight Surgeon. His Air Force career began at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. Later, he and Patricia were stationed in Seville, Spain, at the Moron Air Force Base where he was responsible for overseeing the design and construction of a new hospital. After the service, they returned to Westminster, Colorado, where he opened up his own medical clinic. He worked many long hours building his successful business. During this time, he and Patricia adopted 3 children. He then decided to return to school to become a Nuclear Radiologist and moved his family to Minnesota. After moving to the Twin Cities, he and Patricia adopted their 4th and final child. They eventually settled in Sioux City, Iowa, where he worked in the Radiology Department at St. Luke's Hospital for almost 30 years. When he wasn't working, he enjoyed time with his family in Okoboji, Iowa, or traveling across the countryside. He was a dedicated husband and father. He encouraged his family to live life to the fullest, to learn and experience new things. His faith and his family were always the most important things in his life. He loved animals. He was generous with all. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten! He was a wonderful man and can never be replaced! He was one of a kind, and they don't make them like him anymore! We are all blessed to have had him in our lives! He is survived by his wife Patricia; children Julie (Mika) Raveala, Carl Selander, Verna Selander and Steven (Julie) Selander; grandchildren Sabrina, Sam, Spencer and Emma; and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Carl Oscar Selander and Rose Anna Selander; his siblings Cecilia Desmond and his brother Ernest Selander.