Helen Mary Harris Dahle, 85
Helen Mary Harris Dahle, 85
Helen Mary Harris Dahle, 85, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
She was born in January of 1927, the year that Charles Lindbergh made the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to Anna and George Harris, whose families had immigrated to the United States from Greece. Helen spent her youth in Chicago and attended Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., from which she graduated in 1944. At Stephens, she excelled as a student and developed a lifelong love of aviation, piloting a Piper J-3 and earning her pilot's license and instrument rating. Upon graduation, Helen worked for United Airlines. She was also very active in managing her parents' successful restaurant business.
In 1953, Helen married Louis Dahle and the newlyweds settled in Rogers Park, a suburb of Chicago. As their family grew with the addition of three precocious daughters, Helen and Lou moved to Lake Bluff, Ill., where they built a house. In 1985, once Lou had retired and their nest was empty, the couple moved to Kalispell, where they enjoyed daily trips to the health club, known in those days as "Second Wind," and occasional "road trips" to destinations far and wide.
Helen was a spirited and independent lady. She loved to travel and would regale acquaintances with accounts of her travels from Wasilla, Alaska to Phoenix, from Revelstoke, British Columbia to the "hot spots" of Canada. She was an avid reader, loved arts and crafts, and decisively defeated Lou whenever they bet on the weekend slate of NFL games. She always looked forward to seeing "the girls" during swimming classes at the Summit, where her references to "pagoda arms" and her infectious laughter endeared her to many close friends. At the center of Helen's life were her eight grandchildren, and just two months ago she was overjoyed when her first great-grandchild was born.
Helen's husband, Lou, preceded her in death in 2011.
She is survived by her three daughters, Dominique Schieck of Hayward, Calif., Desiree Brown of Kalispell and Denise Riehl of New Canaan, Conn.; grandchildren, Britt, Mariah, Kyle, Carly, Colin, Caitlin, Pete and Allison; and great-grandson, Jack.
Helen will be remembered fondly as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, a tireless homemaker and one who always made lemonade out of the lemons that life brought her way. “She will be missed. May she rest in peace.”
Memorial arrangements are to be determined at a later date.