Sherrill Neudahl

On Monday, September 7, 2020, Sherrill (Sherri) Jeanette Neudahl, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully at Season’s Hospice House in Rochester, Minnesota at the age of 77.

Sherrill was born to Conrad and Zena Appledorn, as their 5th and youngest child in Crosby, Minnesota. She was active in the church where she loved to play the piano and sing in the choir.  Sherrill graduated from Washington High School in Brainerd, Minnesota in 1961, where she sang in the choir and was a baton twirler in the band. She moved to the Twin Cities where she graduated from the Minnesota School of Business. She went to work for the White Bear Press as their editor and attended the University of Minnesota School of Journalism. During this time she met and married her husband Herbert (Ken) Neudahl and had their first daughter Kyle.

She and Ken soon created and published the outdoor magazine Fins and Feathers, during which time, they had two more daughters, Kristen and Kendra. Wanting to make a mark on the world and help people use less energy, she and Ken formed the home-building business named Sun-Gain, with which they built passive solar envelope homes.

After leaving self-employment, Sherrill started work for the State of Minnesota, where she spent nearly 30 years with the Department of Emergency Management where she loved her work and was incredibly dedicated.

Sherrill loved to laugh. Her laugh was infectious and always made people smile. She was a great cook, and baker. Everyone knew her knew for her famous Christmas cookies. She loved dogs, and especially her English Setters which she trained and showed proudly. She drove van pool for many years to ease the daily commute of so many people. She loved to read and loved the outdoors. She was incredibly strong and brave, and never shied away from work that needed to be done. She always saw things through to completion.

She fought a long battle against kidney disease that was caused by a late-diagnosed strep infection when she was 17. She went into kidney failure at the age of 58 and had a living-donor kidney transplant the next year. After 15 years, it also began to fail, and she started dialysis when she fought to live to enjoy life and “see what’s next.”

Sherrill loved her family the most, and is survived by: her husband Ken; their loving daughters, Kyle Temme (Steve Kiemel), Kristen Sailer (Doug), and Kendra Week (Tom); 10 beloved grandchildren – with three great-grandchildren; her sister Beverly Melby (Lloyd); many caring sisters and brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews; as well as her English Setter, Beauty. She was preceded in death by: her parents Conrad and Zena Appledorn; her brothers Conrad (Bob), Arthur (Bud), and John; and several beloved dogs.

A celebration of life will be held at Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center in Stillwater, Minnesota on Sunday, November 7th, 2021 beginning at 1:00 P.M. with visitation, and a ceremony beginning at 2:00 P.M.