LOVE IS THE ONLY GOLD (Oluf and Myrtle)

The news in the Colby, Wisconsin Phonograph on April 4, 1901 included an article about my grandparents and their marriage:

“The bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Tuttle of the town of Colby, and is respected by a large circle of friends.  Mr. Olson is one of the leading young men of his town, honest and industrious and highly respected by all his acquaintances.  The Phonograph joins the many friends of the young couple in wishing them a happy and prosperous voyage on the matrimonial sea.”

Who would have guessed that the voyage on the matrimonial sea would last 64 years? Having just turned 63 myself, and now starting to feel my age, I can’t imagine such an enduring relationship and the joy and heartache they experienced.

    my mother's college graduation

Grandma and Grandpa OIson had ten children within a span of 16 years.  Eight of them lived into their 70’s and 80’s.  One, Francis Marion, named after my grandmother’s father, lived only two days in 1912.  Robert, born in 1905, died in 1930 after an unexpected illness.  Although my grandparents were very poor, almost all of their children graduated from college.

Grandma Olson was born on Halloween, October 31, 1875.  Her name was a tongue twister (Myrtle Tuttle).  I remember her as spunky and full of fun.  I also remember magical Christmas Eve celebrations at their house on Court Street in Neillsville, Wisconsin. The house was filled with aunts and uncles and cousins from all over the state.  On the one-hour drive to their home, I often pictured my grandma’s one-of-a-kind popcorn balls, the delicious smells of candies she helped make, and the wonderful breads baking.  I couldn’t wait to get there.

Grandma was very close to her younger sister Sarah and ironically, they married two Olson brothers, Oluf and Fred.  I often wondered how they met and if they had double dated.  I do know that in later years, Sarah was always nearby.  She was a kind, gentle woman and was devoted to Grandma.

Grandma Olson followed her husband’s work pursuits through the years, from sawmill worker to farmer, village marshal and lamplighter, deputy sheriff, and janitor.  For over 60 years they were a team—the trusty Norwegian and the English lassie with the long lineage dating back to 1635.  They lived in my hometown of Abbotsford, Wisconsin from 1907-1916.  Grandma often accompanied her husband around the village in the evening as he lit the kerosene lamps. They moved to Neillsville in 1916 and were able to buy a house two years later.  Although it was a home for their nine children, it didn’t offer many amenities.  In fact, it had a dirt basement which allowed rodents equal access to the house.  My mother related a story about one of her sisters waking up one morning with a bloody face and hands, evidence of a rat’s visit during the night.  It must have been disturbing to my grandparents, as it was to my mother.  Years later my Aunt Ellen completely remodeled the house and my grandparents had a warm, cozy home which they could share with their family.

I remember my grandma’s love of birds.  There were often little parakeets taking up residence in the corner of the dining room, close to the window.  I can still picture Grandma saying goodnight to her little friends and covering the cage with a cloth so they could sleep well.  She loved nature-- birds and flowers and plants.  Lacking a planter, she used the horn of an old Edison phonograph, which I now have.  It’s been difficult finding a replacement for that horn, but I imagine that Grandma put it to good use as a planter.

It’s still hard for me to drive by that little green house on Court Street.  A part of me still thinks Grandma and Grandpa are there sitting on the front porch waiting for us.  Grandma lived to be 94 and Grandpa 90.  What an amazing couple they were!  Years ago my Aunt Ellen showed me the note Grandma had written, telling her children how much she loved them and wanted the best for them.  She was a dedicated mother and grandmother and one special lady I won’t ever forget.

As for Grandpa, he lived up to his newspaper billing as honest and industrious and highly respected.  But beyond that, he was the joy of my grandmother’s life.  Together they made an exceptional pair and I’ll always have fond memories of them, filled with gratitude.  And I'm reminded of what Alfred Lord Tennyson once said simply, but eloquently:  "LOVE IS THE ONLY GOLD."