Carl G. Dahlberg, 93, of Wellston, Ohio, passed away on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at Jenkins Memorial Health Facility in Wellston. Born on January 31, 1919, in Hibbing, Minnesota, to immigrant parents, Axel and Selma Rosenquist Dahlberg, his family moved to Wellston in 1933 when his father, a steam shovel operator, began work at the strip mine coal operation in Wellston.
It was at Wellston High School that Mr. Dahlberg met his future wife, Rita Essman, whom he married in 1942. They both graduated in the Wellston High School class of 1936. Mr. Dahlberg went on to attend Ohio State University, participating in the ROTC program. In 1942 he received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism and the commission of Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. In World War II he received the Bronze Star for his service behind enemy lines as a forward artillery observer during the Battle of the Bulge.
Following the war, he returned to Wellston where he lived the remainder of his life. He owned and operated the Wellston Auto Parts business in Wellston for many years before accepting the position of Vice President for Development at Rio Grande College. While at Rio Grande, he worked to help found the Rio Grande Community College and for many years served on its Board of Trustees.
A life-long love for and interest in his adopted home of Wellston and southeastern Ohio led him to volunteer his energies for a number of causes. For more than 20 years he served as Secretary for the Jackson County Fair Board. He helped found the Southeastern Ohio Regional Council, a multi-county association to promote the development and growth of that area. For many years, he served as its Executive Director. For over 50 years, he was a member of the Wellston Rotary Club. He also was a member of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Wellston.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Rita Essman Dahlberg, in 2010, and his brother, Alf Dahlberg. Surviving are his daughter, Elizabeth (Don) May of Fernandina Beach, Florida, and son, Eric (Katie) Dahlberg of Mansfield, Ohio; grandchildren, Laura Ruth Collier of Deerfield Beach, Florida; Carl Gustav Dahlberg of Columbus, Ohio; Matthew Allen (Donna) May of Cockeysville, Maryland; and Sarah Elizabeth Dahlberg of Dallas, Texas. Also surviving are four great-grandchildren: Carl G. and Nora Dahlberg of Columbus, Ohio and Courtney and Kelley May of Cockeysville, Maryland, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the Jenkins Funeral Chapel in Wellston on Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., at which time the Rosary will be recited. Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Wellston with Father Donald Maroon officiating. Burial will follow in the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wellston with military services by the American Legion Post # 371 of Wellston.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the existing Carl Dahlberg scholarship fund at Rio Grande College, established for graduates of Wellston High School, or to the Saints Peter and Paul Scholarship fund in Wellston, Ohio. In both cases, donations may be sent in care of the Milton Banking Company of Wellston, P.O. Box 268, Wellston, Ohio 45692-0268.