Othelia Peterson Tyberg (1907-1987)

Agnes Othelia was born in Wood River Township, March 26, 1907, the second child of Hulda Albertina (Soderquist) and Otto Ephraim Peterson. As the first child was a daughter, Annie Marie, Hulda and Otto were quite sure that the second would be a son, whom they would name Otto. Her unique name, Othelia, seemed to become a token of the strong identification that she would feel with her father throughout her whole life. Like all her siblings, she walked across the pasture to attend Midway School (Wood River District 11) and, in 1924, she graduated from Grantsburg High School (in Grantsburg she stayed with kinfolk, the Philip Carlson family, to attend high school; Mrs. Carlson was half-sister to her Grandma Soderquist). She trained to be a teacher in the special program at Grantsburg High School. She also taught in several of the one-room schools in Burnett County and, in a larger school during a year she particularly enjoyed, at Glen Flora, in Rusk County. After acquiring further credentials at the Teacher’s Colleges in Superior and River Falls, she because Supervising Teacher for Burnett County.

Victor Lenard was born in West Marshland, January 15, 1904, the second child of Johanna (Lundquist) and Erick Magnus Tyberg. After graduating from the eighth grade at Freya, he worked on the family farm helping his father. Later, he worked for Arthur Anderson in his general store in Alpha.

Othelia and Victor met at Uncle Isaac Lundquist’s birthday party in 1928 when Othelia was teaching in Freya and, on June 22, 1935, they were married on the Peterson farm where Otto and Hulda had married exactly 31 years earlier. Othelia was attended by Blanche Larson, a teacher from Beloit whom she had met at Glen Flora; her sister, LaVone; Victor’s sister, Elsie; and niece Joanne Aronson, as flower girl. Victor was attended by his brother, Rudolph; his cousin, Stanley Lundquist; and Othelia’s brothers, Delroy and, as ring bearer, Roger. In 1938 John Victor was born, in 1942, Rodney Erick, and in 1949, James Russell. In 1946, Betty Wagenius joined the family and became the boys’ only sister and, later, with her husband Gordon Anderson, presented Othelia and Victor with their first grandchildren. Marilyn Ruth and Carol Joy were followed by Anna Victoria, Robert Erick, Rebecca Nicole, Erik James, John Daniel, and Kathryn Lynda. Victor lived to see his first great-grandson, Pieter Philippus de Tombe.

Othelia and Victor lived above Arthur Anderson’s store until 1937, when they moved to Grantsburg and occupied an apartment in a building that stood at the corner of northwest corner of Burnett Avenue and Oak Street. During John’s first year, they moved next-door on Oak Street to occupy the second unit in a duplex owned by Gust and Annie Johnson. That dwelling was next door to the Chevrolet dealership and garage, which Victor and a partner owned and operated. Victor then worked for a year in the McNally Brothers’ machine shop making “war parts” and, in February 1946, they bought and moved to the Peterson homestead.  They lived there until 1963 when they moved to Minneapolis where Victor became a caretaker at Elim Baptist Church. When he retired in 1973, they returned to Grantsburg to a home on East Madison Ave. where they celebrated their Golden Anniversary in 1985. Othelia died August 14, 1987; Victor, March 10, 1994.

Othelia is remembered as an outstanding teacher whose love of learning was freely and generously transmitted to her children. Her faith was central to her life and she was deservedly respected as a pillar in her church and community life. Victor is best remembered by the phrases of Wordsworth: “…that best portion of a good man’s life/ His little, nameless, unremembered acts/ Of kindness and of love.”

By LaVone Olson