Love, laughter, and compromise are the cornerstones of the marriage shared by Mabel residents Bud and Ellen (Nordheim) Aasum.
The couple was married on August 28, 1955, at Decorah Methodist Church. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends last summer at the Mabel Steam Engine Park. After an anniversary announcement in the Fillmore County Journal, the couple was amazed at how many cards they received from people they had not seen or heard from in years.
Assuming that “Bud” was a nickname, the couple smiled. With a laugh, Bud said his name, Llewellyn, which is difficult to spell, is pronounced loo-ELL-in. His wife smiled as she shared her full name, Ellen Lucille, which is pronounced Ellen loo-SEEL.
The couple met at a cousin’s wedding. Ellen was a bridesmaid, and Bud and his friend Mervin Vatland played the accordion at the charivari.
Their first date was 72 years ago at the skating rink in Peterson, Minn. Ellen said it was a long way from Sattre, Iowa, where she was raised. Bud grew up north of Mabel, Minn. The couple double dated with Evelyn and Mervin many times before they were married.
Ellen has kept a diary every day for 72 years, never missing a day. Bud joked that he could write an entire book about his life.
Bud was 21 and Ellen 17 when they married in a double wedding alongside Ellen’s identical twin sister Evelyn, and Bud’s best friend Mervin.
Their mother, an accomplished seamstress, made matching wedding dresses and veils. “Back then, you even dressed up to go on your honeymoon,” Ellen said. They wore matching blue going-away suits, which they made.
Their car was decorated with paper and Limburger cheese on the motor. The guys pushed it down to the station, where Bud washed it off first before driving so it wouldn’t smell when the engine heated.
Both couples honeymooned in Wisconsin Dells. It was late when Bud and Ellen checked into the hotel. They told the receptionist that they had just gotten married.
A few hours later, Evelyn and Mervyn showed up and happened to see Bud and Ellen’s car at the hotel, and decided to stop and get a room. The receptionist thought it was the same girl with the same outfit, but with a different guy. She came and got Bud and Ellen to make sure there were two of them.
The couple raised four children – two girls and two boys, and have 11 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandkids, with two more on the way. The couple is immensely proud that most live nearby. Ellen proudly shared that they have one daughter and six granddaughters, all nurses.
They spent every day together working on the farm. When talking about those years, Bud gently patted Ellen’s hand and called her his hero.
Another story that illustrates their love – about 50 or 60 years ago, Bud and Ellen were unloading oats into the elevator when Ellen noticed her soldered rings were missing. Bud searched the elevator and grain bins without any luck. He even built a screen over the truck bed and sifted through the oats, still unable to find them. One day, while working in a grain bin, Bud noticed something sparkling. He secretly retrieved the ring, found a jewelry box, and proposed again.
The couple purchased the flower shop in Mabel in 1976, and was joined by their daughter, who worked with them until it was closed. Both also worked part time as custodians at Mabel-Canton School. Bud worked for the school for 17 ½ years, while Ellen worked there for 11 years.
When asked for advice for couples just starting out, Ellen said one word: compromise.
Bud advised couples to start small and avoid taking on too much too early. The Aasums began married life in a small shanty attached to Bud’s parents’ home.
Because this article will be published on the Monday before Valentine’s Day, it seemed fitting to ask how they celebrate the holiday. Bud and Ellen looked at each other and answered in unison that they did not celebrate Valentine’s Day.
After hearing their story, it is clear that they celebrate love every day of the year.
Leave a Reply