Wende Jo Dahl, age 58, of Texarkana, Arkansas, passed away surrounded by love and remembrance. Monday, December 8, 2025, at her home.
Wende was born on November 20, 1967, in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She devoted her life to caring for others, earning her nursing degree from the University of Arkansas Hope in 2016 and serving as a Licensed Practical Nurse at the Telford Correctional Facility in New Boston, Texas. Her work reflected her commitment to dignity, respect, and humanity. Wende Jo was known for her sweetness, coupled with a directness that made her unforgettable. She always told you how she felt- openly, honestly, and from the heart. She was preceded in death by her father, Wendell Penwell, and her father-in-law, Donald Dahl.
She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She loved her family deeply and was always there to offer thoughtful, heartfelt advice whenever a problem arose. Her wisdom, strength, and caring spirit made her someone people turned to – and someone they could always rely on.
A gifted and talented softball player, Wende Jo, shined on the pitcher’s mound, where she could command a strikeout game with remarkable skill, confidence, and determination.
She is survived by her husband of twenty-one years, Donny Dahl of Texarkana, Arkansas; her children, Mindee Penwell and her husband, Joshua Briggs of Hooks, Texas; Joseph Penwell and his fiancée, Ariel Looper of Okolona, Arkansas; and Raven Jo Penwell of Westfield, Massachusetts, her mother, Mary Jo Penwell of Texarkana, Arkansas; two grandchildren, Alessa Penwell and Elijah Briggs, and her mother-in-law, Diane Dahl of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a host of friends and other relatives.
Cremation Arrangements are under the direction of Texarkana Funeral Home, Arkansas.