Charlotte Dahl

Charlotte Lorraine Dahl
April 9th 1924 - February 9th 2023
Born April 9th, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois to Mabel Louise Wheelwright and Walter Lyle Slife, Charlotte had a transient childhood, living in a range of places throughout the West and Midwest, having the fondest memories of her childhood home in Kewanee, Illinois. A child of the Great Depression, her mother found aid from family members in Iowa and Illinois before settling in Iowa City, Iowa. A graduate of Iowa City High School, Charlotte worked as a waitress on the North American, a pleasure cruise boat on the Great Lakes, where she made lifelong memories with her friends from the University of Iowa. After completing her B.A. in Journalism in 1947, Charlotte took a job at the New Ulm, Minnesota radio station KNUJ, where she met her husband, Robert Lloyd Dahl, with whom she had two children, Matthew Lyle Dahl and Peggy Anne Dahl. Upon divorcing in 1973, she moved to Mankato, Minnesota and worked at a bookstore for about 10 years, then moved to St. Paul and worked in the Fisheries Division of the Minnesota DNR. There she became an adept computer user, a skill that she practiced for decades to come. She enjoyed a long retirement, living first with her daughter Peg, then independently in St. Anthony Park, where she enjoyed reading, watching movies, practicing astrology and growing plants on her windowsill. An occasional traveler, she enjoyed trips to England and Italy with her children and her grandson Sam. She was a loving grandmother to Samuel Oliver Quiney, for whom she often provided care after his elementary school days. In her later years, Sam brought her groceries to keep her healthy during the covid-19 pandemic, kept her appointments, and often provided care in the evenings, thus returning the favor. Sam's father, Adrian Quiney, helped Sam with this and was a good friend to Charlotte in her later years. After a short struggle with pancreatic cancer, Charlotte entered hospice and passed away peacefully on the evening of February 9th, 2023 surrounded by her grandson Sam, son Matt, and daughter-in-law Katie.
Charlotte was a generous, kind person with a mischievous sense of humor that she maintained throughout her final days. An independent thinker, a lifelong student of both history and astrology, she was a great reader and classic film buff who maintained her independence until her 98th year. "Hey, kiddo" was her catchphrase - it opened many conversations with her children and friends over the years.

Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents, and her sisters, Jeanne Hawk and Ruth Snider. Survived by her son, Matthew Lyle Dahl; daughter, Peggy Anne Dahl; grandsons, Samuel Oliver Quiney and Charles Arthur Dahl; nieces, Julie Snider and Catherine Luett; grandniece, Amy Luett and grandnephew, Andrew Luett.