Sylvia Annette Vahle was born on 10/20/1925 to Alice and Walter Vaaler and grew up on a farm outside Spring Grove, MN. Her brother Owen was born in May of 1929 and the family of four was close knit and proud of their Norwegian heritage. Sylvia was musical from an early age. She was happy when she was singing. One of her other joys was playing in the woods on the farm. Sylvia would go on to attend Luther College in Decorah, IA where she was a music major and a soloist in Handel’s “Messiah.”
After graduating from Luther in 1947, Sylvia moved to teach music in Tracy, MN where she met John Vahle. They married in 1948 and Sylvia devoted herself to raising children. She said she wanted 3 boys and 3 girls and she got what she wanted. Uff da!
Sylvia kept her musical interests alive by participating in Tracy Lutheran Church: singing in the Senior Choir and directing the Carol Choir. Sylvia also sang in the Prairie Arts Chorale based in Marshall, MN. When she wasn’t directing her children or singing, she was busy sewing clothes for her 3 daughters and for the Lutheran Mission of Foreign Relief.
Sylvia and John shared the passions of walking, bike riding, bridge, crossword puzzling, Scrabble and good conversation. Sylvia also played bridge with her longtime women friends in Tracy.
In the 1990s, Sylvia and John spent winters in Mesa, AZ. Sylvia later became John’s primary caretaker until his debilitating neurological illness led to his passing in 1999. Sylvia continued to live in their family home until 2018 when she moved to Boulder Estates in Marshall, MN. In 2022, Sylvia moved to her final home at Arbor Glen in Lake Elmo, MN to be closer to family.
Sylvia is survived by her loving family.
Children: Karl (Bonnie), Louise (Pepper), Jane (Ron) Haugen, Dan (Cindy), Sara (Steve) Robichaud, Paul (Sara).
Grandchildren: Jill (Scott) Clark, Shonna (Mark) Steeves, Kristina (Russ) Arnold, Mark (Lindsey) Haugen, Abbey (Gery) Haugen, Chloe (Andrew) Adams, Ian Adams, Paul Robichaud, Ali (Andrew) Robichaud, Sadie (Casey) Anderson and Paige Sanders.
Gre a t - g r andc h i l d re n : Hunter (Amy) Pauley, Karlye (Adela) Clark, Billy (Britni) Clark, Jordan (Danielle) Clark, Brendan (Courtney) Steeves, Emma (Max) Maxwell, Morgan (Tyler) Drevecky, Terry Drevecky, Sophia and Alea Haugen and Shafer Anderson.
Great-great-grandchildren: Christian, Brantley and Henry Pauley, Jayce, Shelbie, Kelbie, Jaxon and Nayla Clark, Elijah and Beckham Steeves, Landon and Hayden Maxwell and Cally Sauter.
Many friends from the Tracy area enhanced Sylvia’s life. Her family is grateful for those friends from Tracy who kept in contact over the years.
A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. If you’d like to honor Sylvia, sing a song when you think of her.
