October 22, 1935 – May 24, 2022
Barbara Franzen Dahlstrom passed away at her home in Mountainbrook Village, Gold Canyon AZ, on May 24, 2022.
Born on October 22, 1935 to Axel Herbert Franzen and Lorraine Miller Franzen in Chicago, Barbara was a graduate of Amundsen High School in Chicago and enjoyed a long career as an Executive Administrative Assistant. Barbara is survived by her two sons, Stephen (Teri Jo) Pritchard of Payson, AZ and Michael Pritchard of Phoenix, her sister Carole (John) Schaller of Lake Barrington, IL, her nephew Tim (Renee) Hartnett of Shorewood, IL and their children Amanda, Hailey and Brittney, her daughter Susan Dahlstrom Randall (David) of Carmel, IN and their children Lindsay (Daniel) Randall Harris, Daniel, Kelly and Scott Randall, daughter-in-law Sharon Dahlstrom of Little Rock and grandson Jack (Samantha) Dahlstrom of Lacon, IL.
Barbara also leaves four great-grandchildren; she was the best Mor Mor to all of them. Barbara was predeceased by her son John Dahlstrom, niece Tracey Hartnett and her husband, Charles Dahlstrom, with whom she moved from Elk Grove Village, IL to Gold Canyon in 1999. They both loved their Mountainbrook Village life, making many friends. Barbara was an active participant and wintertime leader of “The Waterlilys”- the Mountainbrook water aerobics class, and she became a wonderful potter, creating many beautiful pieces.
She also enjoyed playing Mexican Train and Mah Jongg. She was an excellent cook and was always up for a good time. Barbara lost her battle with ovarian cancer but her attitude and zest for life helped get her through some dark times- especially her house burning down in 2020 between rounds of chemotherapy. She always knew she had many good friends, but that was especially evident after the fire. Barbara was grateful and always saw the silver lining, but after rounds of chemotherapy and radiation in 2020, the cancer reoccurred in 2022. Barbara made the courageous decision to live the best quality of life for whatever time she had left.
Services for Barbara will be at a later date. Especially kind and helpful to Barbara in recent months were her nurse Tracy and her social worker Margaret of Hospice of the Valley. The family asks if you’d like to make any charitable contributions in Barbara’s memory, that you consider Hospice of the Valley. Visit www.hov.org for more information.
