Linda Dahl, 1923-2014

Published 9:50 am Monday, July 7, 2014

Linda Neve Dahl passed away from causes incident to age on July 3, 2014, at St. John’s Lutheran Community. Mom enjoyed the fact that she made it to age 90! She was born near Walters on Sept. 3, 1923, to Alma Heideman Neve and Albert Neve. She was the second child in a loving family with brothers and sisters Wilbert, Marjorie, Bernard, Kenneth, Erylss and Richard. She grew up on the family farm during the Great Depression and knew both hard work and frugality. She graduated from Alden High school.

Linda Dahl

Linda Dahl

On Sept. 17, 1950, she married our dad, Harold Dahl, in Walters. They honeymooned in Clear Lake where Mom fell backward, uninjured, off a bench and down a hill while Dad was getting ready to tee off on the third hole. They laughed about this for 50 years.

Mom was an award-winning seamstress with grand prizes at the county fair for coats, dresses, skirts and slacks. She made adorable Christmas and Easter dresses and prom dresses for us, and, after much begging, “knee knockers,” which were a rather unbecoming fashion statement from the ’60s. Mom was an avid reader and an expert cook and baker. She loved to spend time with all of her family, knit, embroider, play cards, dance and golf. The only things she disliked were cats.

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Mom worked as a secretary in Chicago at a nickelodeon company and at Wilson & Co. before she met Dad. She spent many years working in our home to raise us, teach us and support us. We vividly remember Mom ironing in the afternoon with the familiar smells of steam, starch and laundry fresh from the line as she watched “The Edge of Night.” She returned to work outside our home as a secretary in the guidance office at Albert Lea High School and enjoyed working with the counselors and students. When Mom and Dad retired, they loved to travel. They took a cruise every year and traveled the world.

Mom is survived by daughters Debby (Gene) Lund and Jeanne (Steven) Hendrickson. She was so proud of her granddaughters Stephanie Hanson, Megan (Ryan) Jensen and Karin Lund. She treasured her great-granddaughters Danika and Jerzi Jensen. She loved Steve’s sons Erik and Jamie and their spouses and children, and she became a second mother to her sons-in-law Steve and Gene. Mom is survived by her youngest brother, Richard, and his wife, Beverly; sisters-in-law Ardene Neve and Judy Neve, and many nieces and nephews. Mom loved her lifelong friends with whom she played cards, drank coffee and ate bars, exchanged recipes and canned peaches.

The family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to everyone at Hidden Creek Assisted Living, where Mom received wonderful care. In the Hidden Creek community, she participated in many enjoyable activities for the five years she lived there. Mom also received months of kind and loving care from the staff in the First North wing at St. John’s, and the family is so appreciative. The family extends a special thank you to Dr. Vocal, who provided excellent care that improved her quality of life. Near the end, Mom was under the gentle care of Mayo Clinic Hospice. We thank the many who prayed for her, came to visit her and sat by her bedside.

Mom’s funeral will be at Bayview Funeral Home at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The Rev. Mark Niethammer of Salem Lutheran Church will officiate. Mom was a lifelong member of Salem. Visitation with the family will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at Bayview before the service. Interment will be next to our dad at Graceland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers or monetary gifts, Mom would be pleased if you made a donation to your favorite charity. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com.