“I still feel shock myself. I think about it some. I don’t like to because I start to get teary-eyed. She left a hole in me,” Joni Dahl’s cousin, Duane Caywood, said.

The Eveleth community was left in shock, after Joni Dahl died after being struck by a drunk driver in Embarrass Minnesota, late Friday night.

“I’m still in shock. You know I just talked to Joni last Saturday at the race track, and I’m still in awe that this happened,” Longtime friend of Joni, Rick Cannata, said.

Joni was known around Eveleth, as someone who was passionate about her community. Her love for hockey, as well as her love for racing, was clear to those closest to her.

“She was into hockey. She was a goalie, she loved it. She was a big racing fan,” Rick said.

Joni was a daughter, a girlfriend, and a friend.

Not only did she have a position on the board on Halvor Lines Speedway race track in Proctor, but she also held the Executive chair for the Hibbing Chamber of Commerce. With goals of one day running for a seat on the city council.

Her friends and family say its heartbreaking. That such a positive presence in their life is gone because of a drunken driver.

“If you drink, don’t drive. If you have a few beers, call a friend,” Duane said.

While they hope to find a moment of peace during this hard time. They remind everyone that drinking and driving causes more damage than you think.

“I know I’ve told my kids who are grown adults, but they still. If you’re out, and you need a ride, call and I’ll come get you. Then we don’t have to deal with things like we’re dealing with today, ” Tammy Lofdahl, Joni’s co-worker, said.

“You’re life can change in the blink of an eye, and maybe not yours, maybe you’re affecting somebody else,” Rick said.

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