Elizabeth Merrill Dahl, 85, of Winchester, VA, passed away on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Lynn Care Center in Front Royal, VA.

Elizabeth was born in 1940 in Bloomfield, NJ, to the late Dr. Rudolph and Elva (Merrill) Fager. She graduated from Bloomfield High School, where she played the upright bass in the orchestra because, as she loved to tell it, she was taller than most of the boys. She went on to earn her Associate’s Degree in Business from Lasell Junior College (now University).

During her younger years, Elizabeth was a camper and later a counselor at the camp now known as Kieve Wavus in Maine. While a counselor at Wavus, she met and eventually married fellow counselor Glennard Frederick, with whom she had three children: Laura, Anne, and Mark.

Elizabeth had an adventurous streak, which inspired her to become a Girl Scout Troop Leader, taking her troop on several memorable camping trips. She enthusiastically explored the US through several family moves between Virginia, Long Island, NY, Washington state, and then back again. This entailed two exciting cross-country treks with three children in the car—before cell phones, Sirius XM, and electronic devices—a very brave feat indeed! Once settled back in Virginia as an empty nester, she trained as a Medical Assistant in 1991, working for many years as a medical and physical therapy aide.

Eventually, Elizabeth moved on her own to Carmel, CA, where she spent some of her happiest years and met and married her third husband, Arthur L. Dahl. During those years, she greatly enjoyed frequenting and exploring the local attractions and working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Later, Elizabeth moved closer to her grandchildren in Maryland. She was very involved in her granddaughters’ after-school care and their sports careers, enthusiastically cheering them on at many lacrosse and field hockey games. She was a true animal lover, spoiling her cats, sending countless donations to animal care causes, and feeding many a family dog surreptitiously under the table when she thought nobody was watching.

Throughout her life, Elizabeth’s true passion was helping and caring for people and animals. Later in life, she transitioned to working as a home health care provider. This good karma was paid back in kind during the last eight years, as she suffered increasingly from Alzheimer’s. Through it all, she never lost her love of animals, family, gardens, music, and her willingness to dance. Her children would especially like to thank Susan Johnson and her family, the employees of the Adult Care Center of the Northern Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA, and the staff of the Lynn Care Center in Front Royal, VA, for their kindness and support.

In addition to her parents and her husband, Elizabeth is preceded in death by her three sisters, Marjorie Arnold, Jean Arnold, and Merrilyn Worthington.

She is survived by her children, Laura Frederick (Sean Murphy) of Winchester, VA, Anne Frederick (John Herrold) of Hampstead, MD, Mark Frederick (Dana Jeffery) of Huntington, VT; four granddaughters, Emily Herrold of Pittsburgh, PA, Erin Herrold of Hampstead, MD, Amanda Herrold of Hampstead, MD, and Leena Cherryholmes of Los Angeles; two grandsons, Connor Murphy of Austin, TX, and Riley Murphy of San Marcos, TX; and several nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life for Elizabeth will take place at Omps Funeral Home on Amherst Street in Winchester, VA, on Sunday, May 25, at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Elizabeth to the Adult Care Center of NSV, 411 N. Cameron St., Suite 100, Winchester, VA 22601.