Date of Birth:
Wednesday, September 9, 1925
Date of Death:
Friday, January 5, 2018
Age:
92 years old

Ellamae “May” Dahle

Ellamae “May” Dahle, age 92 of Rochester passed away peacefully on January 5, 2018 at Cottagewood Senior Communities.

May Hoyer was born on September 9, 1925 in Chester, MN, Marion Township, Olmsted Co. to John T. and May Varty Taylor Hoyer. She attended country school and then boarded with a Rochester family to complete her high school education. In return, she provided homemaking services. There were no rural school buses at the time. She was employed at St. Marys’ Hospital as a Cashier and went on to work at S&H, Montgomery Ward, and JCPenney in the office and sales. Appearance was emphasized for department store work. Prior to the work shift, a checklist was used. Shoes had to be polished, hose without runs, dresses and skirts were pressed, jewelry worn and hair dressed. May married Arnold J. Dahle on February 9, 1946 in Cresco, IA. He was an Inhalation Therapist at Mayo Clinic, retiring after 36 years of service in 1973. Following the Polio epidemic, Arnold cared for those stricken with Polio. The couple would visit homes on weekends, helping with Tracheostomy management. They made their home in Rochester, starting over after the flood of 1978. He passed away September 25, 1984. She moved from her home in Rocky Creek Estates to Rochester Central Towers in 1998. Then, in July of 2014, she moved to Cottagewood Senior Communities . May enjoyed family gatherings, keeping in touch by sending and receiving birthday and Christmas cards, sitting outside enjoying scenery, going to Michael’s Restaurant for lunch, and having fun. She babysat many of her great-nieces and nephews and the grandchildren of her friends. She made the days happy with play, love, yummy lunches and two-layer birthday cakes. She was known to keep the refrigerator and cupboards well stocked for her guests. Travels included Branson, MO to visit her sister, Fairbanks, AK in 1977, and Olympia, WA in 1979 to visit her son Arnie Jr. and his wife Judy on the occasion of adoption of Judy’s children, James and Bard. She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, and a life member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary. She was patriotic, having three brothers who served in WWII.

Survivors include a son from her husband’s previous marriage, Michael Dahle of Rochester, five grandchildren, a sister Ms. Caroline Mahoney of Cokato, MN, a sister-in-law Alberta (John) Hoyer of Rochester, and numerous special nieces and nephews, great and great-great nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husband Arnold, her two sons, Kenneth and Francis “Arnie Jr.”, her parents, her sisters Ethel and Inez (from her mother’s first marriage), her sister Dorothy, three brothers, Richard,  John, and Dave, sister-in-law Marion Scrabeck and brother-in-laws George McDowell and Ed Mahoney.

A Memorial Gathering for May will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2018 from 10:00AM until 12:00PM, with a luncheon starting at 12:00pm in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home. Burial of her ashes will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens at a later date. A special thanks is extended to May’s nephew, Richard and his wife Lorraine Hoyer of Rochester, Dr. Henry J. Schultz, the staff of Cottagewood Senior Communities, and Olmsted Co. Social Services, who took care of May for many years.

Memorials are preferred to Cottagewood Senior Communities and Heartland Hospice.