Dolores “Dode” Honl, 102, St. Cloud

September 5, 1918 - January 29, 2021

Funeral services will be on Monday, February 8, 2021 at 11:00 AM at Williams Dingmann Funeral Home in St. Cloud for Dolores “Dode” Honl, 102, who passed away on January 29 at St. Benedict’s Center. Visitation will be an hour before the service at the funeral home. Rev. John Fiscus will officiate and burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in Morgan, MN at a later date.

Dolores was born on September 5, 1918 to William and Mary (Frasch) Honl at rural Morgan, MN. She enjoyed many happy, worry free days playing mostly outdoors with her brother Al during her childhood. This including skating on the Minnesota River during the winter and fishing in the summer. She attended primary and high school in Franklin, MN where she was on the famous girls basketball team. Upon graduation Dode worked in a local clothing store in Franklin for two years and then headed “West” with friend Ferne. They needed a vacation, which lasted 6 weeks using Dode’s brother Al’s 1928 Chevy. Upon returning home, Dode attended cosmetology school in Mankato and graduated in 1940. She went into business with her talented instructor, Ingrid Averson in Renville, Minnesota. Dode and Ingrid had a successful beauty shop combined with a dress shop. After five years, Dode decided to take a one year sabbatical to spend time with her family and friends and to do some gold mining in Arizona and mountain climbing in California.

In 1947 Dode purchased and operated a beauty shop in Bemidji and after 2 years sold this business and headed to the “Big Apple” New York City. While there Dode worked with Ingrid Averson again, assisting her in operating her beauty school. After one year Dode decided to open her own beauty shop on 55th street, near Broadway, which she owned and operated for the next 15 years. Her many customers were business people as well as retired clientele. This special group of people remained lifelong friends.

During Dode’s many years in New York City she, along with a friend, Helene Ringenberger, would come back to vacation in Minnesota to go camping in the well-known Boundary waters of Northern Minnesota. They also fished and hunted in many northern counties. Helene enjoyed Minnesota’s outdoor activities so much; she decided to move with Dolores when she returned to her homeland of Minnesota in 1966. Dode and her friend, Helene Ringenberger, purchased a place at Big Birch Lake near Grey Eagle, Minnesota.

When back in Minnesota, Dode managed numerous beauty shops for several years. She eventually became a beauty shop inspector for the State of Minnesota covering mainly the western part of the state and retiring to her much loved Big Birch Lake home in 1976. Over Dode’s later years of working and during her retirement years, she traveled extensively which included Russia, Australia, South America, Europe, Mexico and a great trip to Alaska. Dode and her friend, Helene, spent their retired years in the Bahamas on Mangrove Cay during the winter months. The island was 12 miles long and 5 miles wide, which was a fly in from Florida. After numerous years, they spent the next 22 years in south Texas, mainly in the Mission Area for the winter months while spending summers at Big Birch Lake fishing and swimming.

Dode was especially close to her only sibling, Ellsworth (Al) and his wife Ione, who have now passed away. She is survived by her niece and four nephews. They include Devon Kytola, her twin brother David (Sheila) Honl, Gary (Jeri) Honl, Randy (Joey) Honl and Neal (Myra) Honl. She was preceded in death by her parents and special friend, Helene Ringenberger. Dode also enjoyed years of great friendships and laughter with her wonderful neighbors at Big Birch Lake.