Dora Rebecca Kingsley, 93, of Jordan
Funeral services for Dora Rebecca Kingsley, 93, of Jordan and formerly of Plato, were held Saturday, Sept. 8, at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Plato, the Rev. William Baldwin officiating.
Mrs. Kingsley died Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, at Glencoe Regional Health Services long-term care facility.
The organist was Diane Anderson and the duet of Franklin and Alice Boller sang “Beyond the Sunset.” Congregational hymns were “In the Garden” and “How Great Thou Art.”
Pallbearers were Jim Birk, Denny Engelmann, Ray Howell, Wayne Jabs, Stanly Ristow and Richard Jannusch. Interment was in the church cemetery.
Dora Rebecca Jannusch was born Sept. 12, 1918, in rural Plato, the fifth of seven children of Ferdinand F. Jannusch and Laura Rebecca Marie (Litzau) Jannusch. Her parents were active in the establishment of St. Paul’s UCC church in Plato, where she was a member.
On her family farm, she helped with hoeing in the sugar beet fields, gardening, tending to the chickens and canning. She attended elementary school in Plato and high school in Glencoe, where she graduated in 1937. She was active in the church choir and also taught Sunday school at St. Paul’s UCC in Plato.
Just one day after graduating, Mrs. Kingsley was offered a job as a dishwasher by Shorty Dvorak at the restaurant at Platwood (which was located between Plato and Norwood). Two weeks later, she was trained as a cook and discovered she liked it.
It was there she met Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt Kingsley of Wadena, who worked at Platwood in the bowling alley and as a piano player. In April 1938, Dora Jannusch and Ted Kingsley joined the Jay Gould Circus and spent two summers traveling with the show, with Dora cooking for the entire circus crew.
On May 19, 1938, they married. In February 1939, they were blessed with the birth of their only child, Judith Lois.
During the 1956-1957 school year, they also hosted a foreign exchange student, Olga Espana from Guate-mala.
The Kingsleys became local business owners in May 1945 when they opened “Ted and Dora’s Bar and Café” on main street in Plato. Most famous for their ribs and hamburgers, the Kingsleys were known throughout the area and beyond, receiving much unsolicited acclaim: “Ted and Dora Kingsley provide one of the finest menus in the state of Minnesota;” “salesmen will drive out of their way to have lunch or dinner at Ted and Dora’s;” and arguably the most re-told story of a top executive from one of America’s biggest corporations who sent a telegram from a well-known Chicago restaurant stating that he wished he was in Plato enjoying one of Ted and Dora’s steaks.
In November 1964, Mr. Kingsley died and Mrs. Kingsley continued to run Ted and Dora’s on her own until she retired and moved to Jordan in 1977. She continued to host and help with cooking for many family events and holidays.
Throughout her life, Mrs. Kingsley enjoyed listening to music, the challenge of crossword puzzles, embroidering quilts, table clothes, and dish towels, rug hooking and watching her only great-grandchild, Vanessa, grow up.
She loved fishing and traveling with her husband, and both were devoted Minnesota Twins fans as well as avid bowlers. They would spend the Fourth of July weeks at Crane Lake in northern Minnesota fishing, and the Labor Day holidays traveling extensively, visiting nearly every state over the years. Mrs. Kingsley loved to go to cities such as Chicago and New York.
Mrs. Kingsley always had a smile and hello for everyone and often shared these words of wisdom: “Make time for yourself” and “Love what you do.”
Survivors include her daughter, Judy Birk, of Hutchinson; sisters, Verona “Babe” (Jannusch) Howell of Glencoe and Luella Adeline (Jannusch) Ristow of Norwood Young America; granddaughter, Jayne (Denny) Birk-Engelmann and their daughter Vanessa of Willmar; grandson, Jim (Donna) Birk of Hutchinson; and several nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Ferdinand F. Jannusch and Laura Rebecca Marie (Litzau) Jannusch; brothers, Leonard Alex Jannusch (wives, Melinda and Dorothy), George “Spike” Carl Jannusch (wife, Elvira), and Fred “Tack” Edward Jannusch (wife, Betty); sister, Christina Anna (Jannusch) Monroe (husband, Frank); brothers-in-law, Joy Olson, Dick Howell and August Ristow; and son-in-law, Eugene Raymond Birk.
In addition to being known for her cooking, Mrs. Kingsley also was known to keep her recipes secret. One day in the 1960s, she was in New York and invited a friend (Georgia Gould-Lyle) for a drink at the Waldorf-Astoria.
“Tell me,” the friend said, “how do you make that delicious barbecue sauce?” Dora smiled and changed the subject. She still won’t say . . .
Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Dora - we will all miss you; thank you for a wonderful life!
Arrangements are by the Johnson-McBride Funeral Chapel of Glencoe. Online obituaries and guest book are available at www.hantge.com. Click on obituaries/guest book.
