Peyton Isabelle Dahse

The guardian angels of Peyton Isabelle Dahse welcomed her young beautiful soul through the gates of heaven on January 7th, 2023. Born and raised in Racine, WI, Peyton entered her short but vibrant life on August 7th, 2001, cherished daughter of Ross and Billie Jo Dahse, and baby sister to Alexandria Moran and Zoe Dahse.

Peyton began her schooling at Stephen Bull Fine Arts Elementary, the perfect beginning to harness her creativity by expressing herself in drama, art, dance and music classes. To find the beat of her own drum, she attended Walden III, discovering her interest in both English and art class, performing many times at the talent show ranging from dancing to exceptionally accurate comedic impressions. Peyton transferred to Horlick High School her sophomore year where she graduated at the early age of 16. She went on to hold jobs in the beauty industry and spread her intense knowledge and talent in dance to many young children at Masters of Movement and Dance Arts Center (DAC).

Her passion for dance started in her family home kitchen. While sitting on the kitchen counter, she would patiently wait for her mother to finish cooking so that they could dance together. With her ever-present rhythm from a young age, many people noticed Peyton’s fluidity of artistic movement, even as she walked. At the age of three, Peyton began taking a creative movement class at DAC, which led to her taking many classes such ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop and lyrical, with jazz being her claim to fame. Her dance career continued through Academy of Dance and Danceworks, leading her back to DAC to join their competitive company team. During this time, she competed with the company throughout the Chicago Area, earning many awards, most notably the company’s contemporary group dance 2015 National Grand Champions Title of the Rainbow Dance Competition.

Aside from dance classes, as a young girl, Peyton was a member of the Racine Gladiator’s Dance Team, planting the seed for her to eventually become a three-year captain of the Horlick High School Poms Squad. As a Varsity dancer, Peyton won numerous awards. Her most significant award being the All-American Dancer from the UDA, providing her with an opportunity to travel to London, United Kingdom for an exclusive camp. She was also awarded academic medals for holding a 3.5 GPA or higher while participating in a sport. Her legacy to the team is remembered as a strong, constant leader and a friend to all, helping other girls improve while always keeping a smile on her face. Peyton will also be remembered as a legend for recalling every move to previous routines, and always making every performance better than the last.

Along with her passion for dance, she also loved watching great documentaries and constantly gaining knowledge on topics such as the Paris Catacombs and true crime. She also enjoyed researching conspiracy theories ranging from bigfoot to landing on the moon. Peyton prided herself on her unique knowledge stemming from her parents of what she considered to be great movies and music, an extremely cultured soul.

Peyton’s biggest treasure was her family and true friends. She enjoyed taking long drives with her mother to talk about all the adventures they hoped to have while sipping on a Dunkin coffee. Peyton and her father bonded over records, expanding each other’s perspective of music from all decades, chilling and vibing. With her sister Alexandria, they enjoyed shopping trips to Ulta and going to the movie theater. During her time with her sister Zoe, they enjoyed getting Starbucks with a birthday cake pop, especially the early morning Christmas day visit. She also spent many days at Lake Michigan and getting tacos with her beloved uncles. If you had her on your side, you were lucky enough to receive her love, and she loved so hard.

She will be remembered for her infectious laugh, phenomenal sense of humor, strong love, and unquestionable loyalty. Peyton was the life of the party, always lighting up the room. She truly was everyone’s baby. We will forever miss her beautiful soul. To quote her favorite song, “It's all over now, baby blue” by Them.

Peyton leaves behind her loving parents Ross and Billie Jo Dahse; big sister Alexandria Moran and her children Holden and Oakley; and middle sister Zoe Dahse. Her grandparents Edward and Diane Dahse; Uncle Michael Braun; Aunt Renee Braun; and Aunt Brenda (Peter) Buchaklian and their children Coral, Sarkis, Kevork, and Aram. Her many cousins and their families: Jason (Clarissa) Braun; Kyle (Becca) Thellefsen; Robert Lizotte; and Michelle (Alejandro) Trevino. Also she leaves behind her dog Daisy and her precious penguin stuffed animal waddles who traveled with her on many occasions. Peyton is preceded in death by her grandmother Josephine Mulder, Aunt Linda Braun, Uncle Mark Braun, Uncle David (Hubie) Braun, cousin Tonya Marie Guerra, and her precious cats Frankie and Johnny.

Peyton’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the CVICU Staff at Froedtert Hospital for their compassion, kindness and exceptional care towards Peyton and her family during her final days. We are so thankful to have had each and every one of you.

All are welcome to Maresh Meredith & Acklam Funeral Home for a visitation on Friday January 13th from 4-7 PM, followed by a short service ending at 7:30. A reception will follow, details coming soon. Flowers are welcome, as well as donations to Froedtert Hospital in Peyton’s name to ensure they can continue to care for people the way they cared for our baby girl.