Roots of Love

The Dahl family tree has three more branches thanks to CMU

For brothers Matthew (Matt) Dahl, ‘03, Tyler Dahl, ’06, and Adam Dahl, ‘13, CMU unlocked more than a college education — all three met their spouses on campus.

Hailing from Rangely, Colorado, the Dahl brothers’ CMU journey started with Matt, the trailblazer.

Matt and Jeanette, ’03, met the first week of freshman year through a mutual friend. Their love story took off running right from the start as they bonded through four years of school and their student government involvement during their senior year. Today, Matt is the city manager for Midvale City, Utah, and Jeanette is a nurse practitioner.

Tyler and Matt overlapped for a year on campus when Matt was a senior and Tyler was a freshman. As the oldest sibling, Matt’s experience helped pave the way for his younger brothers.

Having an older brother who knew the institution helped Tyler settle into college life.

“The guidance and support was really, really nice,” Tyler said.

Tyler, the Mesa County regional president at Alpine Bank and a member of the CMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and his wife, Jessica, ’07, a former schoolteacher turned stay-at-home mom, first met through roommates both in the CMU Ambassador Program.

Their relationship flourished during their shared time at Tolman Hall, where Tyler, a resident assistant would steal precious moments with Jessica during her hours working the front desk. Today, their three sons keep them busy running around their residence in Grand Junction.

Youngest brother Adam attended Western Colorado Community College, now CMU Tech. He and Danielle’s, ’15, story started on the basketball courts, where a game of pick-up turned into happily ever after. Today, they live in Carlsbad, New Mexico, with their two daughters. Danielle teaches second grade and Adam is a construction representative for Chevron.

Last year, all six alumni gathered at Tyler and Jessica’s home for Thanksgiving and participated in the Grand Junction 5K Turkey Trot.

“That was really fun to just be back where it all started. We like having that connection to the town and to the school. It’s something we hope we can continue,” said Danielle.

The connection the Dahl family has to CMU is strong and reflects their shared experiences and deep roots.

“We grew up on the Western slope and we’re all proud to be CMU alums,” said Tyler.