ORPHA ALICE REIDLER DAHLBERG

1921-2021

Orpha Alice Reidler Dahlberg passed away on September 13, 2021, just three months shy of her 100th birthday, in the company of family following a brief illness. Born of George William Reidler and Orpha Alice Wolfe Reidler on December 14, 1921 in Tunnelton, West Virginia, she attended West Virginia University, where she earned a bachelors degree in Home Economics in 1945. There, she met the love of her life and husband of 61 years, Alf Robert Dahlberg, and they were married on June 1, 1946 following his return from service in the Second World War in the European Theater. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Baltimore Maryland, where their first son, Robert, was born in 1951. They moved to Hagerstown, Maryland in 1955, where she was active in St. Paul’s Methodist Church as a leader of the United Methodist Women’s Circle and a member of the Sanctuary Choir and the Administrative Board. Following their move to Amarillo, Texas in 1965, Alice became a full-time educator, teaching both in the classroom and as a private tutor in the family home for two generations, where her students included future CEO’s, state and national legislators, and astronauts. She was an active member of Polk Street United Methodist Church in Amarillo, where she taught the 50-50 Sunday School Class and was a member of the Sanctuary Choir. Alice had a lifelong passion for music and was an accomplished pianist. Music was always a central and integral part of her life, and she successfully passed that love of sound on to both of her sons. She was also a member of the Amarillo Symphony Chorus and an active member of the Amarillo Symphony Guild. Alice was a member of P.E.O. from 1955 onward, and she was President of Chapter B of P.E.O. in Amarillo from 1990 to 1992. Following her retirement in 1996, she and Alf moved to Houston, Texas, where she lived until her death.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her son, Robert William Dahlberg. She is survived by her sister, Diana Reidler Mahood of Annapolis, Maryland; her son Carl George Wolfe Dahlberg and his wife Maria; grandsons David and Noah; and daughter-in-law Carol Dahlberg, all of Houston.

Alice was a fierce and independent personality who sacrificed much to ensure that all in her family had the tools that they needed to accomplish their life work. She strove for excellence in all endeavors relating to family, education, and career. Her standards and expectations, while always high, served as a beacon for all who knew her as well as a benchmark for a life well lived.

A family graveside service will be followed by a celebration of Alice’s life in the sanctuary of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 S. Main Street, Houston, Texas 77004 at 1:30 P.M. on Wednesday, September

22, 2021. The family will welcome friends in the church parlor after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that all memorials be made to the Reidler-Dahlberg Memorial Scholarship Fund of West Virginia University (Fund ID: 3S151), One Waterfront Plaza, 7th Floor, P.O. Box 1650, Morgantown, WV, 25607-1650.

We hold the memory of our beloved mother, sister, Nan Nan, and friend close in our hearts. Her lifetime of contributions remains indelible and underscores not only her deep and unwavering commitment to God and her family but also her enduring legacy of service and unconditional love.