Dennis Oscar Espeland

Dennis Oscar Espeland passed peacefully after more than 91 years of living life exactly the way he wanted — full of laughter, adventure, family, cards, hunting stories, and gummy bears resting happily on his belly. We like to imagine him now in Heaven, where the fish are always biting and there are no game limits.

Dennis was born in Westby, Montana, on August 19, 1934, one of seven children raised on the family farm. From an early age he loved competition, sports, and the outdoors. He played baseball, football, basketball, fastpitch softball, and enough cribbage to last several lifetimes. He especially loved telling stories about scoring five touchdowns in a single high school football game and getting the elusive 29-point cribbage hand.

Dennis graduated from Eastern Montana College in Billings with a degree in education and later on from Eastern Washington University with a Masters of Education. He married the love of his life, Marilyn Sherman on January 27, 1956, and together they built a beautiful life centered around family, friends, sports, and adventure.

Dennis spent his career as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent in communities across Montana and Washington, including Bridger, Rosebud, Skykomish, Hysham, White Sulphur Springs, and Lockwood. Coaching was never just a job to him — it was part of who he was. He encouraged people, teased them, challenged them, and made them believe in themselves. Even his granddaughters were lovingly recruited into “basketball camp,” complete with his enthusiastic chants of “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!”

The outdoors was where Dennis felt most alive. Whether hunting pheasants in Hysham, fly fishing near Big Timber, or making his annual trips to northern Saskatchewan for more than 50 consecutive years, he was always ready for the next adventure. Some of his favorite memories were made at “the cabins,” playing cards, laughing with lifelong friends, and telling stories that somehow got better every year.

One friend described Dennis as “having more fun than two barrels of monkeys,” and anyone who knew him would agree. He had a gift for making ordinary moments unforgettable. He loved the race track, the casino, coffee with friends, card games with “the boys,” winters in Arizona, YMCA workouts with Marilyn, and family gatherings full of noise, teasing, laughter, and "talking the dirt."

More than anything, Dennis loved his family. He and Marilyn raised four children: Dan (Sherry), Denny (Natalie), Darlene Falk (Royal), and Jeanne Johnson (Russ). Together, their family grew to include 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren, all of whom carry pieces of his humor, warmth, and love of storytelling.

Dennis was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Jackie Darlene, his sister Gladys Grimm and brothers Richard and Gene. He is survived by his beloved wife Marilyn; his brother Sam; sisters Betty Aune and Marilyn Adkins; his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and countless friends who will forever tell “Dennis stories” with laughter.

His family will remember him as endlessly joyful, deeply loyal, always ready for a game of cards or a road trip, and happiest when surrounded by the people he loved most. A celebration of life is planned for July 26th of this year in Bozeman.