Honoring Lori Ann Dahlstrom's Legacy

Lori Ann (Speckmier)(Hoffman) Dahlstrom, age 66, of Carver, MN, died peacefully on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN.

Funeral Service will be held Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Grace Church, 9301 Eden Prairie Road, Eden Prairie, MN. The visitation will be on Friday, April 4, 2025, 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the Bertas Funeral Home, 200 West Third Street, Chaska, and also one hour prior to the service at Grace Church. The casketbearers will be Jerome Thomas, Todd Bergland, Chris Nystrom, Gerren Steinbach, Parker Dahlstrom and Cameron Dahlstrom. The burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery, Carver, MN.

Lori was born November 20, 1958 at Slayton Hospital, Slayton, MN to Albert & Ida (Spielman) Speckmier. Lori grew up in Fulda, enjoying a carefree life in a small town. She was proud of her hometown, sharing her love of the town, and invited others to visit whenever she returned home. She graduated from Fulda High School, Fulda MN in 1977. Lori and Richard Hoffman were married on February 11, 1978 and to them was born a son, Joshua Paul Hoffman.

Lori enjoyed a varied work experience, starting with work at Musicland in 1980 in Worthington MN. In 1980, her job took her to Wisconsin where she was assistant manager of the Musicland store. In Holmen she met her best friend (of 44 years) and God-given sister, Allene Horton, in 1981. From there, she moved to Iowa where she managed stores in Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids before returning to Minnesota and worked at the Musicland headquarters until 1990.

She met her husband, Donald, at the St. Louis Park coed volleyball league. They started dating because he liked her socks and were married on May 16, 1987. Three children were born to them, Alec, Callie, and Annice.

She enjoyed her work with children at daycare and the Parents Morning Out at St. Andrew’s while the kids were growing up. She also worked in the Eden Prairie School District Family Center where she nurtured many children.

After graduating from Hennepin Technical School and Northwestern College she was employed by Allina Health as a Senior Integration Technician in December 2002. If you knew Lori, she loved to work. Many would say she lived and breathed Allina. She always said she would be buried with her pager but her family won’t allow that! She remained a life-long learner. In 2010 she became an EMT and enjoyed helping the EMS system train others. She worked hard, developed new friendships with co-workers and shared a lot of coffee and chocolate, two of her favorite things!

In her spare time she shared her talents in the Minnesota Renaissance festival. She celebrated 26 years at the MN Renaissance Festival, creating many friendships throughout the seasons. She took on the role of ‘The Duchess’ and people would say that it was one that she truly loved! She finished her gig as the best darn cheese curd morning crew person at Sir Ellsworth Cheese Curds.

ALS did not allow her to retire as she dreamed. Instead she made the most of each day, meeting with friends, sharing memories and fellowship.

Lori’s faith was the foundation of her being. ‘God is good, all the time’ was a favorite reply. She grew up in the Lutheran faith in Avoca, MN. Later, she joined the Family of Christ in Chanhassen where her love of singing provided her the opportunity to spend many services singing and leading worship in the FOC Christones singing group. Her family started attending Grace Church in April 2000. She began work toward her lifelong dream of going on a mission trip. In 2008 her mission took her to Peru with her daughter, Callie where she sang and shared her faith with hundreds.

Lori was an adventurer. She loved to take trips to known and unknown destinations. Whether it was a trip to Rochester for a wine tasting and live theater, a trip to Arkansas to hunt for diamonds, or a trip to the east coast to enjoy the Appalachian Mountains, she enjoyed discovering new places and enjoying familiar spots. On her travels (and in everyday life) she enjoyed meeting new people and sharing life experiences. She loved to talk; some might say she talked too much! In the past few years, she enjoyed catching up with high school classmates and long time friends. These times were filled with coffee, good food, wine, and much laughter. She treasured each and every friendship.

She is survived by her husband, Don and her children Joshua (Joy) Hoffman, Alec Dahlstrom, Callie Dahlstrom, and Annice (Candice) Mosher and five grandchildren, Kensleigh Hoffman, Madeline Berger, Daxton Mosher, William Jacobs, and Nolan Dahlstrom. She is further survived by her father- and mother-in-law, Donald and Jackie Dahlstrom, Sr., brother- and sister-in-law Scott (Jill) Dahlstrom, and their children Parker, Cameron, and Carter; and God-given sister, Allene Horton. Lori was preceded in death by her parents, Albert & Ida Speckmier, and all of her aunts and uncles.

"And on that note, lolololol.”