LOIS MAE DAHL

Lois Mae Dahl

Lois Mae Dahl, age 85, passed away peacefully May 13^th, 2023 surrounded by family and sent off with love. 

Born on June 21^st, 1937 to Leonard and Myrtle Berg (Anderson) of Elbow Lake in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.  Lois was an only child but grew up with cousins that remained lifelong friends.  Lois graduated from Elbow Lake High School in 1955, then attended Concordia College for one year in 1955-56.  She started working at NDSU as a secretary in the Morrill Hall offices at NDSU in 1956 where she eventually met her husband of 62 years, Norman.   They were married August 31, 1958 in Elbow Lake Minnesota. Aside from attending Concordia College and meeting Norman, another of Lois’s memorable Fargo memories include being picked up by her landlord and driven out of Fargo to avoid the 1957 Fargo tornado.

Being an only child and a city kid, life was about to change when Lois married into the large Dahl family and became a country girl on the vast prairie of  Rosendal Township, in Griggs County. Lois quickly became the chief cook and bottle washer at the farm.  As a bottle washer she once managed 21 bottle lambs one spring.  She always impressed her grandchildren with her ability and strength to feed two bottle calves at one time!  As the chief cook there wasn’t any bad food ever made and hardly a leftover in sight.  Grandchildren (and children, spouses and visitors) would seek out her chocolate chip cookies when walking in the door.  Meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy were a family gathering staple.  Her daughters have spent much of their adult lives trying to replicate the meatball “recipe” and someday may get the potato salad recipe figured out too! 

Lois was an artist, quilter, and square dancer as time permitted on the farm. Many of her quilts have become treasured keepsakes within the family.  She always found time to play games and paint with her grandchildren, and was even known to give an occasional boost up onto a haybale! Many people she played Scrabble with remember her knack of words, and always seeming to win. Family get togethers often included working on wooden crafts and holiday decorations.  She enjoyed the simple things of life, finding crocus flowers in the spring, tiger lily’s in the summer, chokecherry picking and spending time with her girls and grandchildren. 

Her latter years were spent in Casselton and West Fargo, but always enjoyed traveling back to the farm.  

Lois is survived by 4 daughters, Nancy (Lael) Schmidt, Grand Forks, Renee (Miles) Mortenson, Williston, Janell (Duane) Feiring, McHenry and Karen (Carl) Piper, Casselton; 12 grandchildren, Leif (Stephanie) Schmidt, Lise (Evan) Narog, Gretchen (Dustin) Meagher, Ger (Megan) Schmidt, Shane Mortenson, Addie Mortenson, Kayla (Ryan) Bjork, Larissa (Kyle) Schultz, Madison Feiring, Paige Slemmons, Hunter Slemmons and Calvin Piper; and 9 great-grand children Lexi Brever, Kasen Schmidt, Hailey Schmidt, Noah Narog, Hannah Narog, Franklin Meagher, Caroline Schultz, Ty Schultz and Ryder Schultz.

Lois was preceded in death by her husband Norman and her parents Leonard and Myrtle Berg.

Visitation will be Thursday, May 25 from 5:00-7:00 pm followed by a prayer service at 7:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church, Binford, North Dakota.  Memorials may be directed to the Cooperstown Medical Center, Red Willow Bible Camp and Trinity Lutheran Church.