Barbra Jean Dahl

Barbra Jean Dahl, 98, of Albaton, Iowa passed away Sunday, November 2, 2025 at Pleasant View Care Center, Whiting, Iowa.

A memorial service will be 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at the Skien Lutheran Church, Albaton, Iowa with Pastor Craig Bock, officiating. A live stream of the service will be posted on the Goslar Funeral Home website with Barb’s obituary. Burial will follow in the Fairview Township Cemetery, Albaton, Iowa. A visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Goslar Funeral Home and Monuments, Onawa, Iowa.

Barbra Jean Dahl was born on December 22, 1926, in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Ernal and Mildred (Bromander) Olson. She spent her early years living on a farm west of Whiting with her grandmother, Mrs. Bromander, and her uncle, Albin Bromander. Barbra attended a country school through the eighth grade and went on to graduate from Whiting High School with the class of 1944.

With World War II underway, she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps in December 1944 and trained at a hospital in Nashville. After graduating in January 1948, she returned home and briefly worked at a hospital in Sioux City. That same year, the doctor who owned the hospital in Onawa, Iowa, invited her to join the staff, and she began working there in May 1948. Barbra remained at the Onawa hospital for 15 years until the new facility opened in 1963. She then continued her nursing career at the new hospital for another 45 years—dedicating a remarkable total of 60 years of service to the Onawa community.

Barbra Olson and Gordon Dahl were united in marriage on June 20, 1948, at Skien Lutheran Church in Albaton. They made their home on the Dahl family farm in Albaton, becoming the fourth generation of Dahls to live there. In 1957, they adopted their son Jason, and in 1960, their daughter Kysa. Barbra and Gordon often said that the most wonderful thing they ever did was adopt their two children. They believed that without children a person is poor, but with children, they are truly rich and blessed—especially when they think of their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the generations yet to come. Family meant everything to Barbra, and held a special place in her heart.

The couple loved traveling together, and after Gordon passed away in 1999, Barbra continued to explore the world on her own. The only continent she never visited was Australia. For several years, she traveled to Africa annually on mission trips, many of which took her to Tanzania. Barbra was an active member of the STEMM Program in Siouxland, where she devoted herself to helping others. During her missions, she assisted Dr. Steve Meyer in performing surgeries on children with disabilities and even helped deliver a baby on the side of the road in Tanzania. Barbra had a passion for planting trees for windbreaks and working on the farm and also loved collecting shoes.

Survivors include her children, Jason (Pam) Dahl of Sloan, Iowa and Kysa (Bill) Cole of Sioux City, Iowa; grandchildren, Brad (April) Cole, Dustin (Jennifer) Cole, Brittany (Josh Thompson) Anderson, Amanda (Richard) Immel, and Jeremy (special friend, Heather Stoulil) Dahl; great-grandchildren, Madison and AJ Cole, Connor, Brady, and Morgan Cole, Mia, Harper, and Rylan Anderson, and Freyja and Aurora Immel; sister and brother-in-law, Jackine and LaVerne Deen of Carroll, Iowa; and several nieces and nephews, cousins, and other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernal and Mildred (Bromander) Olson; husband, Gordon Dahl; parents-in-law, Howard and Clara (Hosteng) Dahl; brother and sister-in-law, LaVail and Joyce Olson; and brother-in-law, Clayton Dahl.

A message from Barb- “I love to plant trees and watch them grow so walk through the trees, listen to the trees, and think of me, then go home and plant a tree for me.”

Condolences may be left online for the family at www.goslarfuneralhome.com

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