FARGO — A popular and well-known Fargo entrepreneur has spent the past couple of years working on a project that has little to do with balance sheets and corporate meetings.

But it has everything to do with remembering and honoring someone who made a huge impact on those who knew her.

Howard Dahl is a longtime agricultural manufacturing leader in the region. Think Steiger, Melroe, Concord and Amity Technology. All worldwide giants in the industry.

But his latest venture is not about business, it's personal. When Howard's wife, Ann, passed away, she left a treasure of journals he has now turned into a book of life lessons for family and others.

For decades, Howard watched as Ann, journaled.

"I found entries from 1970," Howard said of the early journal entries. "From 1987, very intentional journaling. At times, daily. But always weekly."

A woman of deep faith, Ann would often write about daily life but how she could live it better.

"It was a daily confession but also acknowledgment that she was forgiven and part of her joy was holding both of those intentions," Howard said.

For years, Ann asked Howard for a favor.

"She had all these spiral notebooks," Howard said of the many notebooks. "She always said, 'If I die before you do, destroy those journals.'"

But shortly before Ann died from cancer three years ago, she changed her mind. She was fine with people reading them.

"I told people at her funeral that she left me 2,000 pages of journals, but it was 8,000," Howard said.

There was a lot of history in those pages — family stories. And so Howard has just finished combining the journals and Forum Communications Printing turned those stories into a book.

"I spent three years interacting with the journals," Howard said. "It was very healing but I discovered with clarity, through this exercise, that she was my main mentor in life. Teaching me things that I would not see otherwise."

Howard adds context and comments to Ann's journal entries in the book. A way to stay connected to someone who had such an influence on him and their family. Not to mention her work with the community.

"Ann spent 23 years running an adoption agency here in town. She placed 315 babies during that time," Howard said. "I am full of gratitude. Grieving has moved to knowing the privilege of living with her 50 years, four months and four days,"

It makes sense that after all the stories were read and printed, the title became easy to write, "A Life Well Lived."

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