Karl Dahlin: The Eulogy I Should Have Given!

At the memorial celebration that followed the funeral service for my second oldest brother, Karl (in the Dahlin Family house), afterwards, I had many people look in my direction urging me to share a story or two.  In my mind I wrestled with all the stories that I had spinning around in my head that could adequately capture the essence of Karl. The dilemma I had was trying to come up with THE ONE BEST STORY of the hundreds of memories that flooded my thoughts at that moment.

This time together was about celebrating his life, drawing closure and neatly putting things in categories that help us deal with the passing of a loved one. I walked away with regret that my brain couldn't produce something to share in the moment.  Then I spent an entire day beating myself up for such an epic fail.  

THEN IT CAME!  Unfortunately, it came to me at 2:29am smack dab in the middle of the night, 37 hours too late. 

Let me begin by asserting my premise right up front in one small phrase; The Power of CONNECTION and Beauty of authentic messy COMMUNITY!

When I looked around at the faces in that backyard I was overwhelmed by the real sense of community that we all shared and how each person there had a story that connected them to Karl, which in turn connected us all to each other. Wow! Although I had a million Dahlin stories there also were Blaser stories, and Lennon stories, and Tripp stories, and Nargie stories, and Grant stories, and McClain stories and Daniel stories and Irvine stories and Dugan stories and Sasson stories and Koz and Charlie and Jack and John and Tom and Ray and Ian and Greg and Tuna canyon and Sycamore canyon and Dogtown and Jeff Ho and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stories and Bob Dylan stories... 

(pictured to the left is Bob Dylan in Red Shirt - with Karl, Kurt and Bob). 

...and the crazy Rooster stories. There were stories that took place in Venice and in Marina Del Rey and at Bass lake; stories that included Bob Furhman and Pinky Parlette and our very SPECIAL TWINS - David and Lisa. 

There are stories of the “hooch-hut” out back at “Wall Drug” and pool stories and electrocution stories and boat stories and Fish Stories – that connect us all to Karl and all to each other.  

When I look at Karl’s kids – I see his love for fishing that will live on. I see his creativity and how the skill of craftsmanship had been passed down to David along with the blonde hair of his youth.  With Michael Jon, I see the sensitive heart of Karl that endured him to so many people. When I look at Karlee I see his eyes and his beautiful thick hair and the strength of character. I marveled at how if you took all three of them and squished them together into one person you would get Karl.  Together they embody who he is - his life lives through them and his legacy lives through all of us who were blessed to be a part of those stories.

OH, I HAVE STORIES! Plenty of them. 

Stories like:      Letting monkeys out of the Zoo 
                        The infamous Veloci-Raptor

                                                            Johnny the pigeon

                                                            Lazarus the cat
                                                            Poochie the "Wonder Dog" 

                                                            Halloween and the Saints 

                                                            Sawing his 57 Ford in half for a dune buggy

                                                            The Alligator

                                                            The Mexican Tomato Plants

Hollister

                                                            Fishing

                                                            Nearly being killed in a storm at sea

                                                            Grandpa the giant, chick-eating bullfrog

                                                            “Haircut Saturdays”

                                                             Being chased out of Lancaster

                                                             Kings River

                                                            The storm at Salton Sea

                                                            Pranks on poor old Edna next door. 

                                                            Stealing Avocados

                                                            Wresting in the front yard

                                                            “Templates”

                                                            Albino Camp hikes

                                                            Cross country trips and Dad's 67 Ford Squire

                                                            President Johnson and snapping turtles

                                                            Red ants 

                                                            Horticulture

                                                            Stained glass windows

                                                            Kitchen cabinets

                                                            Leaky boats

                                                            Rebellious boat motors

                                                            Softball..."Pinners" 

                                                            Shared Birthday parties

                                                            Broken bones - lots and lots of them!

                                                            Boxing matches in the living room

                                                            Listening to the Beatles and the Beach Boys

                                                            Dancing in the living room

                                                            Milk Wars

                                                            Reptiles 
                                                            Rattlesnake escapes...

…stories and stories and more stories – BUT, what I realized when I looked around was - what a great reminder that there is probably no neighborhood in America THEN or NOW where there will ever be so many people in a unique mix of bizarre, funny, flawed, adventurous, risk taking, loving community of real people who are still connected in such a beautiful and powerful demonstration of what it means to be truly human!

  

Karl, I miss you more today than I did yesterday… you will be a part of us forever…and part of an amazing story that can never be duplicated with a legacy that is etched into our hearts, forged into our memories and cherished as we continue to tell our stories (no matter how embellished) that will assure you will never be forgotten and serve to remind us to cherish the relationships we have. We had something very special on Harding Avenue and we still have that powerful connection and sense of beautiful-messiness of community.  

Thank you to all who attended, to all those offering heart felt thoughts, and for all the prayers and condolences.

Karl, you were there when I came into the world and it was my great honor to be with you when you left this one!   

With Love, your baby “Birthday” brother… Mark!

Tribute to my big brother, Karl Dahlin! 2.0

This is my Pictorial Tribute to my big brother, Karl H. Dahlin, who passed away last Monday morning, APRIL 7th at 9:25 am.   (I make sure to say that the time was specifically 9:25 am because those digits become very significant).

Karl was born on August 13th, 1948 at Saint Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, California (the second boy of the Dahlin tribe).


Mr. and Mrs. Dahlin, had one boy... then Karl...then another boy... then another boy... then another boy...

Five boys in a row - all about a year apart... (pictured from left to right) Karl, Kurt baby Erick with mom, Kris then Tony.



1955 - THEN IT HAPPENED: THE MIRACLE a Girl!   YEAH!  "We got one! We got one!"




Pictured from Right to Left  are the boys in descending order in their John Travolta suits - wide collars (way before their time) Tony, Karl, Kris and Kurt.  Erick, Mary and Mom centered

Jan 1956 - Here is Karl seen to the right at 7-years-old, being pulled in a wagon by big brother, Tony, at the new house at 925 Harding Ave in Venice.

From Left to Right Karl...Erick...Kurt...Kris...Tony(standing).
(Not pictured is Mary 1 year old)


Little did Karl know at this time that His mother was one month pregnant with another baby... due sometime in August!





August 13, 1956 -  The blessed event happened on Karl's 8th Birthday. Mom brought home another boy and presented Karl with his birthday present...a baby brother, Mark!

Dec. 1956 - 4 months later here I am, the baby on the floor, and Karl (in the very back, LEFT) can't take his eyes off of his precious birthday present.  

Ahhhhhhhhhhh....... 

The next Christmas here we are again on year older.

from Right to Left

Kurt...KARL...Erick...Tony...Mary...Kris and Mark on the rocking horse!

Here we are in 1960ish with address on pillar of "Harding" house...925 (Pay no attention to the clothes I'm wearing in lower right hand corner), and look at handsome Dad and cute KARL, far left standing behind Mary.

Now for "All Saints Day" (same early 60's era)

 Karl as First Pope 

About the same time Karl (rear right - Tony, next to him, probably standing on tippy-toes).














Same time, entire gang in front of Harding house...Karin crawling on ground probably eating snails...(Karl looking down in concern - either for her or for the snails - not sure!).

















Another Christmas goes by... Kurt and KARL











A year or two later sporting summer tans (probably just returned from one of our infamous excursion to either Kings River or a Salton Sea.

Order of appearance LEFT to RIGHT rear... KARL...Kurt...Tony (in back, probably standing on tippy-toes) Kris.

Front - Erick..Karin...Mary...Mark (and please don't look at the see through shirt) "ughhh!"










                            Karl at 13, the best looking of the bunch














This is about the time Karl brought home Bob from Saint Mark's school and he ends up staying and becoming part of our family.

Couple years later 1964-1965  Karl (center rear)
Tony definitely standing on Tippy-toes!








July 1964 just before heading out on one of our notorious family vacations to Salton Sea or to the Kings River.


Karl just before his 16th Birthday!

Pictured Left to Right KARL...dad, ("Mr. D" Carl with a 'C"who we called "daddio" at that time)  Kris and his baby brother, Mark ahhhhhhhhhhhh!









Karl taught me how to fish...
Kurt...Karin...Karl...and Mark in sombrero


                                 













                     At Salton Sea 1965

Dad sleeping on the ground, Kris in front, Me flexing behind... Erick doing something... and who knows what KARL and Steve Smith were thinking!








The British Invasion: "The Four Mop-Tops i.e. The Beatles!




Hair starts to become an issue here is Karl on one of our infamous Saturday "Hair cutting days" not wanting his hair to be cut...It is a water shed event that paves the way for all of the long in Venice CA.














Karl single-handedly corrupts the Lennons and leads them down the path of all things, "long-hair" most notability Pat Lennon and Billy.

























1973 Picture with entire family Including Bob and David and Lisa (don't forget Poochie) -  by this time our dog is the only one with short hair!

Pictured Top row Left to Right Mr. D...Mark...Karin...Bob...Tony(definitely on Tip-toes) Erick and KARL

                       Mom with Lisa and David - Kurt with Poochie... Mary... Kris kneeling (bottom right)   

1973ish, You can see one of Karl's boats in the background parked on the front lawn of 925 Harding

(above) Karl second from right! 

Karl pictured far-left in front of old dead Christmas - tree and the Troop 32 Scout Bus

 1973 - 1974 

Karl and Tuna Canyon Crew

Mid 1970's Picture taken at Saint Mark's Hall 

Family Siblings including Bob (LEFT to RIGHT) Erick...Karin...Kurt...Mary...Bob...Tony(sitting not on Tip-toes) ...Kris...Mark..  and KARL far right!

A couple years later,  Mom with all the siblings (along with Pinky Parlett and Irma)

All ten of us with Irma

End of the 70's Karl front Left.

Late 90's (reunion) all the natural born boys in order from LEFT to RIGHT

Tony...KARL...Kris...Kurt...Erick...Mark













Four Brothers 2007 in Utah


Tony (kneeling) Mark (background) Kris... and KARL to far right!

Our family at my mother's memorial service August 2009











Karl in his element with our "Real Family" at the 2013 Harding Avenue Reunion at Donny's House:
Blasers
Dahlins
Lennons
Charlie
Rita
Koz ..etc...etc...

Karl (front bottom third from left)

A recent picture I took of Karl, this past July (at Donny Blaser's house) just before his 65th birthday.

My big brother was very special to me (of course, since I was his birthday present) Karl was extremely bright...and very talented.  He greeted me at my birth and I had the chance to be with him at his peaceful passing...interesting enough, on Monday morning at 9:25am.

He made custom built cabinets for the remodel at the kitchen for 925 Harding ave... As a craftsman he did work at Bob Dylan's house and I remember when he brought back a pair of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shoes from the custom work he did there. He did work at Cheech Marin's house (of Cheech and Chongs).

Karl could do anything he set his mind to and taught me how to make 90 degree cuts without a T-Square - I still can't figure out how he did it.


Beside a rich fishing legacy...Karl leaves behind three children: David (Married to Malyn - two grandsons Westin and Waylin and one on the way), son Michael and Daughter Karlee...

...in addition to Janet... 5 or 6 brothers, two sisters...and a bazillion nieces and nephews.









Karl you are loved...I will miss you!  

(your birthday present) Baby Brother... Mark