John Dols

John R. Dols, age 88 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, sharing happy memories, telling funny stories, and listening to John’s favorite music on Saturday, December 28, 2024 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota. 

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, January 3, 2025 at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Greg Paffel officiating. Inurnment will be in the parish cemetery.

Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Friday at the church.

John will always be remembered by family and community as a warm, joyful person who was easy to smile, enjoyed life, worked hard, and then could rest and have fun. Taking care of his family’s needs was important to him, and he was proud of his children and grandchildren and the lives they built. 

John Raymond Dols was born in Sauk Centre Township, Stearns County, Minnesota on August 4, 1936, the eighth child of John and Anna (Rademacher) Dols. He grew up on a small farm near Sauk Lake with his seven brothers and two sisters. As a child, John enjoyed fishing and ice skating with his family on the lake and was a voracious fiction reader. 

John attended St. Paul’s Catholic School through the 8th grade and continued to pursue his education by proudly obtaining his GED in his 50’s. He had intellectual curiosity throughout his entire life. 

He married his soulmate, Darlene Ann Kortan, on August 29, 1959. They shared a deep love for each other and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past summer. After they were married, John and Darlene took over the small Dols family farm. In 1968, they together purchased a larger dairy farm north of Sauk Centre in Todd County where they raised their five children and built a successful farming business. 

John and Darlene sold their farm in 2000 and built their retirement home in Sauk Centre. 

In retirement, John worked part-time for 22 years at Coborn’s Grocery Store, enjoying the opportunity to meet and socialize with people in the community. John and Darlene loved to travel throughout North America, especially to visit their children and grandchildren, and to spend time in the mountains and at national parks. Some of their favorites were Banff, Glacier National Park and Sedona.

John had a deep and very strong faith in Christ. He was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, where he was baptized and received all his sacraments. He was active in the Knights of Columbus and served as an usher at Mass for many years.

He both supported and had a great love of the arts, including classical music, musical theater, photography, literature, and film. He had an enviable record collection of many genres, was a regular at Main Street Theatre and at local concerts. He had a passion for world history and would devour history books and films, loving to share what he learned with family and friends.

John was active all of his life and enjoyed walking, biking, fishing, bowling, playing cards, and watching the Minnesota Vikings. Yet his ultimate passion was golf, which he took up at the age of 41 with Darlene and his children. John made many great friends golfing who he cherished dearly, and was a member of GreyStone, Lynx and Sauk Centre Country Club for over 45 years. He golfed up to five days a week until age 87 and even shot two “holes-in-one” during in his lifetime. 

John is survived by his wife, Darlene Dols of Sauk Centre; his sister, Teresa Pelzer of St. Cloud; children, Nancy (Rick) Bomber of Tucson, Arizona, Deborah Dols of Tucson, Arizona, Linda (Angela Soto) Dols of Tucson, Arizona, Steven (Milly) Dols of Willmar, and Kathryn (James) Olson of Lake Park; grandchildren, Brandon, Jade, Benjamin, Allison, Kayla, Jack, and Maggie; and 13 great-grandchildren. 

John was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Rosella; and brothers, Raymond, Ewald, Florian, Virgil, Germain, Lawrence, and Leonard.

The family would like to thank the staff of St. Cloud Hospital and Gorecki Guest House for their loving care of John and his family in the precious weeks preceding his passing.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Holy Family School or the charity of your choice.