Charlotte Emogene Dahlen

Charlotte Emogene Dahlen passed away on July 5, 2025, in Poulsbo, Washington at the age of 100. She was born in Duncan, Arizona, to Fred and Tille Oberholser. She grew up in Arizona, San Diego, California, and Oahu, Hawaii. Later, her father's work relocated the family to Sacramento, California, where she attended junior college. While she was traveling for work, she met and married Arne Dahlen in Spokane, Washington. Together they moved to Fair Oaks, California and began their family. Arne's work moved the family to the Azores, Portugal, and this gave them the opportunity to travel to Norway, Denmark, Germany, France and Spain. Upon Arne's retirement, they settled in Colville Washington. Many years later, they moved to Poulsbo, Washington with their little poodle "Charley," to be near their daughter and son-in-law.

Charlotte was an accomplished artist, and she lived her life as a beautiful painting. Her talent as a watercolorist and oil painter was widely recognized, earning her numerous awards. Despite these accolades, she remained humble and focused on improving her craft, drawing inspiration from masters like Rembrandt and John Singer Sargent. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Charlotte was an avid and competitive golfer, a voracious reader, and a cherished member of many organizations while residing in Colville. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran church, the Spokane Watercolor Association, Northern Sky Art, Colville Library book club, and a volunteer for Colville Family Support. Charlotte's early career began as a supervisor for West Coast Whelan Photography Studios in California. In later years, she was employed as the district court clerk for Stevens County, Washington, and she later managed Happy's Hallmark store in Colville.

Charlotte's life was one of love and laughter, filled with family and friends who adored her. Charlotte loved her family's description of her life, "She never followed the recipe!" She enjoyed entertaining her friends and family by hosting fabulous dinner parties, often challenging herself to prepare one of Julia Child's recipes.

Several years ago, Charlotte began jotting down these few sentences for her obituary: "And now the end is near, it's the final curtain. I've lived a life that was full. I traveled each and every highway. Regrets I've had a few, but too few to mention." (My Way, Frank Sinatra) She also loved the lyrics from one of Peggy Lee's songs, "Is that all there is? Then let's keep dancing!"

Charlotte was preceded in death by her husband Arne, her youngest son Stephen, and her siblings, Leland, Joe, and Joyce. She is survived by her son, Maury and his wife Diane, Coeur D' Elene, ID, her daughter Jayme and her husband Michael, and her grandson Adrian in Poulsbo.

No memorial service is planned, at her request.

https://lewischapel.com/obituaries/charlotte-dahlen