Dagny Idelle Zimmerli

December 29, 1926 — December 22, 2018

Dagny Idelle Zimmerli, age 91, passed away December 22, 2018, at the Legacy Lodge in Chariton. A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, December 26, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Chariton. Family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 2:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Legacy Lodge Hospice in her memory. Dagny was born December 29, 1926, at home on the family farm in Ottertail County, MN, to Elvin and Amanda (Dahlager) Synstelien. She graduated salutatorian of her class on June 3, 1943, from Ashby High School. She worked at JCPenney in Jackson, MN, for a couple of years after high school. While working one day, a young man came in looking for her boss, but he was out. The young man stayed, finally convincing her to let him give her and her sister a ride home after work. It turned out to be his first day back from fighting in the Pacific during WWII. Eventually Dagny married that young man, Jacob Wesley "Wes" Zimmerli, on October 20, 1946, at her parents' home. This union was blessed with sons: Paul, Gary, Kevin, Michael, Brian, and stillborn infant Mark Robert. After marrying, Dagny continued to work at JCPenney for a short time, then stayed home to raise her family. Coming from a large family herself - she was the fourth of eight siblings - family was extremely important to her. She became an outstanding cook and baker, with her 5 boys consuming everything she made. Her homemade bread was especially good. In 1965, she and Wes took in her niece, Elaine Synstelien. She lived with their boys as a cousin/sister for two-and-a half years before she rejoined her Air Force parents who had been stationed abroad. Dagny's home was always filled with love. Her grandchildren remember how her home was filled with warmth and coziness, as well as sweet snacks and cookies. She loved to work in her flower gardens. Over the years, as they moved, they always took plants with them to start at their new homes. She enjoyed traveling but also simple Sunday drives in the Minnesota River Valley. She inherited her love for the woods and hills from her mother. They would often visit parks to go for a walk or just enjoy the view. She loved to sing in the church choir. As her boys grew they stood next to her, learning to sing and participate in choir and giving their talents back to God as an offering. Her musical talents weren't limited to singing as she played the piano and guitar by ear. Dagny was very active in her churches as a Sunday School teacher, youth leader, in Ladies Circles, and president of the United Methodist Women. In the late 1980s, she was the first lay recipient of the Denman Award for Evangelism in the MN Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. As her boys grew up, Dagny worked part-time at the Redwood County Registrar's office. She later worked at another JCPenney for several years. She finally became office manager and bookkeeper for Great Plains Natural Gas in Marshall, MN, for 15 years before retiring in 1989. Wes and Dagny moved to a lake home on Little Bass Lake near Grand Rapids, MN. They lived there until moving to Chariton, IA, in 2011, taking one more adventure in their 80s. Dagny will be greatly missed by her husband of 72 years, Wes; sons: Gary (Cheryl) of Mankato, MN, Kevin of Bellevue, NE, Michael (Mary) of St. Marys, GA, and Brian (Michelle) of Chariton, IA; 12 grandchildren; and 22 great grandchildren. Also surviving are siblings: Margaret Henrichs and Alphild "Affy" Pieper of Jackson, MN, and Richard (Maryterese) Synstelien of Brooklyn Park, MN; and many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents: Elvin and Amanda; stillborn son, Mark Robert; son, Paul, daughters-in-law: Pattie and Jeanette; and siblings: Sylvia Knutson, Carling Synstelien, Robert Synstelien, and Harold Synstelien. Visitation

DEC 26. 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (CST)

Pierschbacher Funeral Homes - Chariton

914 Roland Ave

Chariton, IA 50049

[email protected]

https://www.pierschbacherfuneralhome.com

Service

DEC 26. 3:00 PM (CST)