Sissel Johanne Kvaal Dahl passed away peacefully on August 14, at the age of 83. Born on November 5, 1943, in Bergen Norway, to Leif Selsbak Kvaal and Helga Cecilie Kvaal, Sissel lived a life built around family and friendship, with a lifelong passion for books and sailing.

In 1968, Sissel left Norway for the United States to build a life with Jarle Hagen Dahl, the man she loved. They met in January, at a New Year's Eve party in Bergen. That April, knowing he would soon be leaving the country, Jarle invited her on a ski trip into the mountains — where he proposed, and Sissel said yes. Together they crossed an ocean, turning that whirlwind beginning into a lifelong adventure. The couple eventually settled in Atkinson, New Hampshire, where they raised their three children.

A graduate of the University of Oslo, Sissel was a voracious reader with a lifelong love of literature, and she built her career sharing that love with children as a school librarian — first at Atkinson Academy, and later at Iber Holmes Gove Middle School in Raymond, where she worked until her retirement. Anyone who assumes a librarian must be soft-spoken never met Sissel. She was gregarious, outgoing, and full of energy —often known to be the loudest person in the room, and without question the most outgoing librarian you would ever know. The children who passed through her library left not just knowing how to find a book, but loving the idea of reading one.

Sissel loved people, full stop. She built a network of lifelong friends so close she considered them family, and she brought a spark of life into every room she entered.

Alongside Jarle, she found a second great love in sailing. For decades, the two of them sailed the coast of Maine together, and it became her paradise. Even in her final years, when she could no longer be out on the water, she loved reminiscing about anchoring at her favorite spot in Casco Bay — the Goslings — sipping wine and watching the sun go down.

Above all, Sissel dedicated her life to her family, and especially her grandchildren, who held a singular place in her heart.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Leif Selsbak Kvaal and Helga Cecilie Kvaal, and her sister, Tove Kvaal Grevstad. She is survived by her husband, Jarle Hagen Dahl; her three children, Birger Stamperdahl and his wife Juliet Stamperdahl, Cecilie (Cecilia) Dahl and her husband George Cronin, and Kari Johanne Bodycote and her husband Bob Bodycote; her three grandsons, Xavier McNulty and his wife Linnra Ma, Ian McNulty, and Leif Stamperdahl; and a number of extended family members in Norway who have given her the gift of a connection to home all these years. She is also survived by a number of granddogs, who brought her great joy — except, famously, Harlie (with whom she had a complicated relationship.)

No services are planned at this time; a celebration of life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to the Children's Literacy Fund (https://secure.clifonline.org/forms/donate), which provides under-resourced children in Vermont and New Hampshire with new books, author visits, and enriching literacy experiences. Sharing the gift of reading with children was Sissel's life's work, and we can think of no better way to honor her than to help that work continue.

Sissel left a light in the world that will not soon dim.