DON L. KLEIN

  Donald L. Klein, 66, of Devils Lake, N.D., surrounded by family and friends and under the care of Mercy Hospice, passed away on Monday, March 17. Mass of the Resurrection for Don will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Devils Lake on Thursday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. with Father Matthew Kraemer officiating. Friends may call at the church one hour prior to the funeral Mass. Music will be provided by Jessica Dalziel, vocalist and Lynda Pearson, organist. Reading the Scriptures will be Mary Christison-Honkola and Gift Bearers will be Sue Watt, Tom and Nancy Watt, Bruce and Mary Senger, Blake Watt and Brandon Padilla. Don Klein, son of Anton and Rose (Axtman) Klein was born on November 17, 1947 in Rugby, N.D. He moved to Devils Lake as an infant and attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School. In 1959, the family moved to Lakota and Don attended school there. He eventually moved to Jamestown to live with his sister and family graduating from Jamestown High School in 1966. Don attended airline school, which took him to Denver and Chicago. He also lived in Kalispell, MT before marrying Gail Honkola of Brocket, N.D. on December 23, 1976 and settling in Devils Lake. They would make Devils Lake their home where they lived, worked and raised their daughter Erika who was born in 1978 and Jessica born in 1981. The girls were his pride and joys. Don worked for the state DOT for eight years. He owned and operated Steam Brothers for 17 years. After selling the business in 2004, he worked for Ramsey County Highway Department until health reasons forced him to retire. Don’s devotion to his daughters influenced his civic activities, which included being a member of St. Joseph’s Elementary School Board, co-founding and acting as President of the Lake Region Optimists’ Club, and serving as a lay person at St. Joseph’s Church. In his later years, Don enjoyed spending time with his family and friends at Wood Lake. He especially loved sitting around the bonfire with his lake family. He also enjoyed barbequing brisket and ribs to share with family and friends. He had an interest in classic cars and enjoyed the Wednesday night cruises with the other car enthusiasts. He will always be in our hearts. He is survived by his wife, Gail (Honkola) Klein; children Erika of Minneapolis, MN and Jessica (James) Knick of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada and a soon-to-be grandson; sister Mary Ann (Dale) Watt of Devils Lake; brother Dennis (Sharon) Klein of Gunnison, UT; brother-in-law Warren (Mary) Honkola of Sun Prairie, WI; special nieces and nephews Sue Watt, Jean (Craig) Capirchio, Tom (Nancy) Watt, Mary (Bruce) Senger, Nancy(Karl) Dagna, Kip (Ivy) Knetter, Denise (Ray) Jackson, Michael (Kristie) Klein and Collin Christison; numerous grand nieces and grand nephews including special grand nephews Derek Peterson and Blake Watt and many cousins also survive. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Anton and Rose Klein; father-in-law and mother-in-law John and Betty Honkola, sister Martha Knetter and nephew Christopher Watt. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the local Relay for Life in memory of Don.