Dayle R. Ahrens

February 21, 1944 - March 17, 2022

Dayle R. Ahrens FORT EDWARD – On the morning of Thursday, March 17, 2022, Dayle Ahrens (78) peacefully passed away at her home. At her bedside, her twin sister Gayle blessed the bookends of her life. Dayle was also blessed to spend her last evening surrounded by her family and friends while recounting old stories, telling jokes, expressing her deep gratitude, and imparting wisdom to those that she loved and who loved her in return. She called it her “Parade of Love” and as always, she was the Grand Marshal. Dayle was an undeniable force of life. Her passion for others was inspirational and she possessed the rare gift where she could leave people feeling better and more confident about themselves just by having known her. Her love for reading and current events also placed her at the helm of the family “debates” during Holiday gatherings; and she relished orchestrating the summer vacations at the shore. But above all else Dayle’s greatest joy was watching her children and grandchildren grow, celebrating the successes of life and recovering from the setbacks; she was there at every ballgame, every theatrical production and every achievement. A lifelong resident of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward, Dayle (with her twin, Gayle) was born on February 21, 1944 to Eunice (Willette) and Roger Ryder. Roger was killed while piloting a mission during WWII and ten years later, Eunice married Leonard Tarantino. Soon, the house at 4 Main St. in Hudson Falls was bustling with five more brothers and sisters. Despite those hectic teenage years while helping to raise her siblings, Dayle graduated as the Valedictorian of her Hudson Falls class of 1961 and went on to study at The College of Saint Rose. As a senior at Saint Rose, she was listed in the 1965 edition of Who’s Who Among College Students for writing and producing musicals, and after receiving her bachelor’s degree in English Education, Dayle was selected as one of five women to enter the pioneer graduate program of The Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, earning her master’s degree in 1967. Dayle entered the workforce as a television news reporter, but after her marriage to Roger Ahrens of Broadalbin, NY in 1967 and the arrival of their children, her career quickly turned to teaching. From 1979 to 2003 Dayle taught English in the Hudson Falls School District for at-risk youth as well as college bound students in grades 7-12. In the 1980’s she, with the late Courtney Walsh, spearheaded the establishment of the high school English AP curriculum. Countless students have heralded that program for teaching them how to think and read critically, write effectively, and to analyze subject matter at a college level. In fact, the success of the program was the inspiration for other departments at Hudson Falls to adopt AP curriculums of their own. Also, in 1995 Dayle successfully defended a local movement that attempted to remove a broad selection of literary classics from the curriculum, setting a precedent that has benefited students even beyond Hudson Falls, NY. In 2010, Dayle and her husband Roger continued to show their allegiance to Hudson Falls youth by establishing the “Big Mike” Memorial Award in honor of their late son, Michael which (until her health declined) was given annually to a graduating boy and girl scholar-athlete. The culmination of Dayle’s relentless dedication to her students and significant contributions to the Hudson Falls School District were recognized in 2016 when she was selected as one of the inductees to the Wall of Distinction. Dayle approached the end of her life the same way as she lived it; with courage, spiritual strength, intelligence and dignity. In her last days, Dayle was joyful and looking forward to being reunited in death with her husband Roger, beloved son Michael, her mother Eunice and sister Jane (Maziejka). She is survived by her children Roger (Janet) Ahrens of South Glens Falls, NY, Elizabeth (Jason) Martin of Delmar, NY and Jennifer Ahrens of Bristol, CT, as well as her grandchildren Zachary, Elizabeth, Joshua, Jane and Allison. Her surviving siblings are Gayle (David) DeRienzis of Sea Cliff, NY, Ellen (Paul) Fronhofer of Salem, NY, Len (Carolyn) Tarantino of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ, Tom (Andrea) Tarantino of Wilmington, NC and Eunice (Frank) Belleville of Clifton Park, NY as well as her surviving in-laws Gene and Charlotte Zurlo, Frank Ketchum, Stan Maziejka and Debbie Ahrens. Dayle was also blessed with too many nieces and nephews to count. Funeral services will be held 10:00 am on Friday, March 25, 2022 at the Singleton Sullivan Potter Funeral Home, 407 Bay Road, Queensbury. Burial will follow at 12:30 pm at the Gerald BH Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, 200 Duell Road, Schuylerville, NY. Calling hours are scheduled from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be sent in Dayle’s memory to The Fort Hudson Nursing Center at 319 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828, or The Conkling Center at PO Box 2088, Glens Falls, NY 12801.