Janet Faye (Dahlin) Gabert

Janet Faye (Dahlin) Gabert, 90, a resident of One Penny Place, Woodruff, passed away July 14, 2024 at Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff.

She was born on October 20, 1933, the daughter of Edwin Dahlin and Ingrid (Eklund) Dahlin. She was raised in Ironwood, Mich., where her father Ed worked as a parcel post carrier for the post office. Her family was active in the Bethany Covenant Church in Ironwood, where her father’s parents were early members. Although she was an only child, both of her parents came from large families, so they all spent a lot of time with her cousins, aunt and uncles in Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield or on her mother’s parent’s farm in Conover. 

After graduating from Luther L. Wright High school in 1951, she went on to Gogebic Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in business in 1953. She worked as a clerk/typist in Ironwood at several businesses, including Oliver Mining Co., Cherne Co. and later the Ottawa National Forest. 

In 1967, she was introduced to her future husband, Bill Gabert, of Boulder Junction, through mutual friends in the churches they attended. She resigned her job after 10 years at the forest service to get married and move to Boulder Junction where Bill ran his own contracting business, Quality Builders. Jan helped with the bookkeeping and administrative work and for a time they also ran a gift shop in town, the Beehive and later The Carpenter’s Bench.

Bill and his crew built a new house on Highland Drive for Jan and their daughter Jean but later moved to Elizabeth Lake as Bill’s building practice expanded and Bill’s son and his wife Marilyn moved to the adjacent property. The family had many happy years on Elizabeth Lake, enjoying the wildlife and peacefulness of living in the Northwoods. 

Jan had many hobbies and interests throughout the years, including painting, photography, reading, fishing and singing in the Community Church choir. 

In the 1990’s Bill and Jan sold their home in Boulder Junction divided their time between winters in Ocala, Fla. and summers in Woodruff at Hiawatha Estates. They met many new friends from all over the U.S. and Canada while living in Florida. Jan especially enjoyed her work volunteering in the Pioneer Village at the Silver River Museum in Ocala. 

The couple moved back to Wisconsin from Florida permanently in 2011 to be closer to family. They appreciated the years spent at Island Estates apartments. which was conveniently close to the amenities of Minocqua and Woodruff but still offered wildlife viewing opportunities from their balcony. 

Jan is survived by her husband’s son and daughters, Bill (Marilyn) Gabert, Julie (Robert) Williams, Kathy (Dave) Thom, her daughter Jean (John) Bonham; grandchildren, Caleb (Sarah) Nichols, Jay (Michelle) Nichols, Tyler (Meghan) Gabert, Dustin (Sheila) Gabert, Jillian and Jeremy Bonham and 11 great-grandchildren. 

She was preceded in death by her husband Bill in 2023, and a daughter, Karen (Mark) Cuff.

Special thanks to the team at Northwoods Senior Health Care and Meals on Wheels for their dedication and assistance during the past few years and to the friends that visited with her at One Penny. 

A private family memorial will be held in the spring. Memorial donations may be made to the Boulder Junction Community Church or the Minocqua Public Library Foundation.