Natalie Ida Knowles (maiden name Dahlgren) passed away on January 12, 2026, in New Port Richey, Florida. She was 91 years old. Natalie was born on March 2, 1934, in Caribou, Maine. She met her husband, Lewis, on a blind date in 1954 – they were engaged a few months later on New Year’s Eve, while flying over Lake Erie in a plane piloted by Lew himself. They wed on April 17, 1955, and were married for 64 years before his passing in 2019.

Natalie worked for many years as a bookkeeper and secretary, but her best and most meaningful role was as a devoted and proud mother, “Yaya”, and “GG.” Over the decades, Nat and Lew’s homes – from their beloved Cora Street in Enfield to Dunedin and New Port Richey – were always full of family, lifelong friends, and love.

Natalie is survived by her daughters, Kathy Knowles and Laurie Cassell (Harvey); her granddaughters, Amy Cassell (Steven Palmer) and Megan Hill (Devon); and her great grandchildren, Braden, Eleanor, Olivia, and Dylan. They will miss her tremendously but are all at peace knowing that she and Lew are together again, going for a spin in the Corvair or sitting quietly next to each other in their recliners.

A memorial will be held at the Dobies Funeral Home on Old County Road 54 in New Port Richey on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 3 p.m. A private service for family will follow later in 2026 at the Bushnell National Cemetery.