Omer Harold Espe (1917-2005), son of Peter and Thilda Espe, and Myrtle Ovidia Dahl (1913-2002), daughter of Lewis and Anna Dahl, were married on Sunday, April 24, 1938 at the home of Selmer (Si) and Emma Rage (Myrtle’s sister) at Ada, Minnesota.
They spent their first night together at the home where they were married, and the next day they packed Myrtle’s belongings and headed north to Roseau County where they lived the remaining years of their lives.
Their first home was in Malung Towwnship in the former home of Omer’s grandparents, Olof and Helena Dahlgren. Omer had arranged to rent this place just a few days before his grandfather’s death in January of 1938. Their first child, a son, was born the last day of January, 1939.
On April 21, 1939, according to an entry in their diary, they moved about twelve miles southeast to the home of Omer’s parents in Beaver Township. The 1940 US Census indicates there were seven people living in the same household: Peter and Thilda (Omer’s parents), Omer and Myrtle, their sons, Glenn and Marvin, and Peter’s father, Lorntz.
Peter and Thilda moved to Minneapolis in 1943. Omer and Myrtle continued on the farm, taking care of the milk cows and other livestock, chickens, hogs and a few sheep, plus raising grain crops and children. By the time they celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary, God had blessed Omer and Myrtle with three sons, a daughter, and three more sons. More about our family on THIS PAGE.
Omer supplemented their income by driving school bus in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and began working for a small manufacturing shop in the village of Roseau. Hetteen Hoist and Derrick eventually became Polaris Industries. Omer was able to work part-time at Polaris, and continued to drive school bus in the morning and after school. In 1957, he went full time at Polaris and quit driving the school bus.
By 1961, Omer and Myrtle had stopped growing cash crops and sold the milk cows. It was a sad day for Myrtle when the cows were trucked away, although it had been more work for her after her older sons had grown up and Omer was working full time in town. She began working in Roseau as a cook at Eventide Home – a home for the elderly which was located in the former Budd Hospital.
By 1963, they grew weary of driving the 22 miles to work each day and moved off the farm and into a small house at 505 9th Avenue SE in Roseau. They continued their jobs after the move, but a couple years later the village police officer, who was also a neighbor, asked Omer if he would consider helping out with police work part-time. He consented to this, and law enforcement gradually became a new career that he would have until his retirement in 19??, first as a police officer and later as a Roseau County deputy sheriff. During retirement he became an EMT with the Roseau Ambulance Service and worked part time for Helgeson Funeral Chapels. Myrtle retired from the Roseau Childrens Home where she had worked for a few years.
Worship of God was a supreme priority their entire married life. Church services, study of the Holy Bible, and prayer were life long commitments for them. While living on the farm, they were members of Salem Lutheran Church in rural Malung, and later they attended Bethel Covenant Church. After moving to Roseau, they became active members of the Roseau Covenant Church. They both enjoyed music their entire lives. They were members of a church string band as guitar and mandolin players, and enjoyed singing duets and in various ensembles.
Myrtle was a wonderful mother and grandmother. She excelled in cooking and baking. Her kitchen was small and doubled as the dining room. She thrived on having family gathered around her table, which was often so full of people that she would eat her meal while standing at the counter after being certain everyone else was fed. She was a skilled gardener and home maker, keeping their home a pleasant place to live. In their retirement years, they cherished social outings with family members and with members of their church family. Omer enjoyed hunting with his sons and grandsons, gardening with his wife, fishing with anyone, snowmobiling, throwing horseshoes, woodworking, berry picking, playing table games, and especially spending time with his family. He was an only child, but at the time of his death his immediate family numbered 90 individuals.
They had been married for 64 years, 1 month and 5 days when Myrtle died in Roseau, Minnesota at Sheltering Oaks nursing home. Omer was, by then, a resident at the same facility. He died 3 years later. The burial site for each of them is at the Hope Cemetery in Roseau, Minnesota.