Aaron H. Dahl

Aaron H. Dahl, AIA, San Antonio architect and long-serving Live Oak City Council Member, died peacefully at home on July 10, 2026, after a prolonged battle with early-onset colon cancer. He was 50 years old.

Born on October 27, 1975, in Memphis, TN, he soon relocated with his parents to Stamford, CT, where he was raised. There he attended Pipers Hill pre-school, Westover Elementary, Cloonan Middle, and Westhill High School from which he graduated with honors in 1993. As a youngster, Aaron was quiet and studious, but always curious and “busy” with new projects and ideas. He was interested in absolutely everything.

Early on, it was obvious that he was particularly gifted in math and art, with notebooks full of sketches and geometrics, along with ever-expanding Lego™️ and woodblock construction sites all over the house. At eight years old, he found out that someone who designs buildings was called an “architect,” at which point he proudly announced that he would become an architect when he grew up.

The summer before his junior year in high school, Aaron attended a program in architecture at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA; the following summer, he obtained an internship with the Stamford City Planning Department from then Mayor Dannel Malloy who was spearheading a major downtown economic revitalization. Aaron walked the city, checked roads and sidewalks, talked to residents and took notes. His interest in architecture was already expanding toward city planning and commercial development.

Aaron entered The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture in 1997. After graduation, he continued to live and work in the D.C. area where he developed unique experience in ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliance, historic restoration of government buildings, and large-scale design for supermarkets and car dealerships.

To pursue his licensure and with a keen sense of business and commercial opportunity, he pulled up his Northeast roots and moved to College Station, TX, in 2001 to attend the graduate school of architecture at Texas A & M University. Because of his background and experience, he was given a graduate assistantship, and the next year he was awarded a scholarship by the Texas Society of Architects. He graduated with a Master of Architecture degree in 2003, promptly passed all of his licensing exams, and thus became one of the youngest, fully licensed/NCARB certified architects under the age of 30 in the Country.

Aaron initially moved to San Antonio because he was offered a position with Thorn & Graves Architects. With original sights set on bigger cities and without expecting to make San Antonio his permanent home, being back in South Texas where his mother was raised (Victoria) and his grandmother (Rosa Lee Harker) still lived was both familiar and welcoming. Pretty soon he was settling in, buying a house in Live Oak, driving an F150, and wearing caiman boots. Though not technically born in Texas, he had actually returned to his roots: he could lay claim to being a fifth-generation Texan on his mother’s side through early family settlers in Victoria from Alsace Lorraine in the 1840s.

Aaron’s ultimate dream became a reality in 2007 when he founded Acuform Architecture with partner Shawn Willis in San Antonio. The firm grew steadily as it acquired more commercial clients, added new staff, and gained a reputation for honesty, reliability, and matching form to function. Acuform moved into its own newly designed office building on Jones Maltsberger Road in 2021, and the firm is now rated among the City’s top ten with clients throughout Texas that include car dealerships, medical offices, stores, restaurants, even HEB. The Company is also known for hosting events for fun (gingerbread house competition) and charity (Stuff the Bus) and an annual blood drive.

With the success of his professional endeavors, Aaron then turned his attention to his community in Live Oak. When an alternate vacancy became available on the local Planning and Zoning Board in 2010, Aaron applied for it and was unanimously appointed. There he offered unique experience and insights on future development and began attending City Council meetings. When a Council seat opened in Place 5 a year later, he ran for it on a platform of “common sense solutions.” He won and continued to be reelected six times unopposed serving 15 years up until his death. He was a leading voice in paving the way for the Live Oak Conference Center, Ikea, and the Live Oak Town Center. His commitment to the residents, to the police and fire departments, and to making Live Oak a better, more beautiful place to live was a deep satisfaction in his life and leaves a lasting legacy to his community.

Aaron loved the world and lived well in it. He traveled extensively all across the United States and overseas, including to Dubai to see the skyscrapers. He had friends all over for many, many years and in many walks of life. As smart and accomplished as he was, he was never condescending, always respectful, and met every new person with a wide, beautiful smile. His courage and strength when facing serious challenges, including a fatal cancer diagnosis, were an inspiration to everyone around him. Aaron Dahl died as he had lived — with dignity, determination, and devotion to the people and the profession he loved.

He is survived by his parents, Stephanie Harker and Clifford Arthur Dahl, of Garden Ridge, TX; an uncle and aunt, Ronald and Cheryl Dahl of Woodstock, GA; two first cousins, Kirk and Wendy Dahl of Malverne, NY, and Eric and Dianne Dahl of Houston, TX.

A Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 6 - 8 p.m., at Porter Loring Mortuary North, San Antonio, TX.

The funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Friday, August 7, 2026, at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks Drive in San Antonio, with a luncheon repast immediately following the service at Acuform Architecture, 17203 Jones Maltsberger Road.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, Texas 77840. Gifts will be used in support of the Acuform Architecture -Aaron Dahl Endowed Graduate Fellowship. Please designate gifts as “In Memory of Aaron Dahl” in the memo line of your check.

To make a gift online, please visit http://give.am/AaronDahlMemorial and select “This gift is in honor of someone special” in the gift details section.