Under Minnesota Skies

Under a Minnesota sky three sisters preserve the legacy of their parents John and Dorothy Hondl and their farmland by writing a memoir.

Inspired by their father's love for a 394 acre farm that has been in the family for more than a century, near Owatonna, Minnesota, Bernadette Hondl Thomasy and co-author Colleen Hondl Gengler assisted by their sister Nadine Hondl collaborated to bring together their family stories in an inspiring memoir titled “Under Minnesota Skies.” It is written in a straight forward narrative with an in depth look at farm life, family experiences and traditions of the Hondl family.

John and Dorothy Hondl Wedding Day

The story is divided into two parts. Part One is informative describing John and Dorothy's ancestors going back to their Czech and German roots in the 1800's, parents' childhood, memories and marriage years building a life together with three daughters on the Hondl farm.

Aerial view of the Hondl farm designated as a historical Century Farm

The sisters found genealogy research a helpful resource to fill in missing pieces about their ancestors.

In Part Two the daughters share their own personal stories that span several generations, growing up in a close knit family on a farm in the late 40's, 50's and 60's.

I particularly enjoyed this part. Even though I'm a city girl I was able to relate to many of their childhood family experiences: cooking and learning to bake kolaches with their mother, licking stamps for the Green Stamp book with the thrill of cashing in the books for certain prizes, taking Sunday drives to enjoy the simple things of life like a picnic or a DQ stop, listening to parents stories about growing up and entertainment which they labeled “home style.” I can also appreciate the sacrifices and challenges the Hondl family faced living on the farm where work demands were a priority.

The values their parents instilled in each of them helped the daughters develop abilities and confidence to succeed in life as well as developing an independent spirit with an inherited love of the land. I applaud the Hondl sisters for having the foresight to look ahead, record their memories and stories while both parents were living and could contribute to the discussions. Along the way in the writing process the sisters did learn that with each daughter's place in the family, not everyone remembers things quite the same.

The Hondl family and farm life were defined by a place, the farm and their Czech (Bohemian) and German heritage. Both parents exemplified hard working farmers who embraced the land. Despite John's limited education he used his ingenuity and resourcefulness to figure out solutions to a variety of farming problems. He was intuitive to diversify crops and livestock mix to keep up with the times.

Dorothy, John and uncle working together with a cement area for beef livestock.

All family members worked side by side helping cultivate the land, harvesting, maintaining machinery, and taking care of livestock.

Each of the sisters worked on the farm doing their share of everything normally reserved for boys to do. Once when someone said to Nadine, “It's too bad your dad didn't have boys,” she responded, “Who needs boys, he got us.”

“Under Minnesota Skies” was their gift to their mother for her 95th birthday September 2015. After the book was published their mother wrote notes to a few nieces and nephews to stop by her home in assisted living to receive a copy. As several book signings ensued after publication more contacts were made with relatives. The sisters enjoyed getting reacquainted with several generations of relatives and sharing the Hondl stories.

Hondl family in 2010. 

The writing for “Under Minnesota Skies” was authored by Bernadette and Colleen. Each of the sisters wrote half of the book. While Colleen tended to do more of the historical research, Bernadette came up with the topics. Often they rewrote each other's material so the writing seamlessly incorporated all the sisters' recollections and the memoir reads as authored by one. Nadine contributed by suggesting stories, critiquing and commenting as did their mother. And Nadine and Dorothy  were "first readers." The Hondl sisters hope their memoir might inspire others to take time to record and document stories while elder members are still able to contribute and discover more of your familial history. Four Hondl granddaughters are the future generation who realize the importance of the legacy left by John and Dorothy Hondl and the farm. They share and uphold many of the valued traditions embraced by their mothers with their future stories yet to be written.

John loading bales of hay with granddaughter Sara.

Dorothy getting to ready to haul beans to the elevator with granddaughter Clare.

Check out Under Minnesota Skies Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/Under-Minnesota-Skies-758026514302633/

Books are available on Amazon or from one of the authors. Just send an email to dcgeng78@gmail.com.
Catching up with Hondl Sisters

Left to right-Nadine, Bernadette, Colleen 2015

Bernadette Thomasy has taught high school in Michigan, then earned a Master’s degree in journalism at the University of Michigan. She worked as a newspaper reporter at The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, for nine years, met her husband Ken Thomasy and raised two daughters in the Toledo area. She continued working in the journalism/marketing/public relations field for more than twenty-five years. A few years after retiring, she and her husband moved to California and have lived there since 2009. Bernadette has been published in several volumes of The Talking Stick, a publication from the Jackpine Writer's Bloc, Inc.

Colleen Gengler worked for thirty-eight years with University of Minnesota Extension which is an outreach arm in the state land grant university system. In the early years she focused primarily on home economics and 4-H Youth Development on the county level. Colleen married Don Gengler, a dairy farmer, and they raised their two daughters on a farm near Iona, Minnesota. Colleen continued with Extension work, eventually having statewide responsibilities in family relations. She retired in 2012.

Both Bernadette and Colleen enjoy volunteering with their respective Friends of the Library groups. Colleen continues researching family genealogy.

Nadine Hondl lives in Rogers, Minnesota. She has been a hairdresser all her life first working in Austin, Minnesota, then in the Twin Cities. Currently she works in a Plymouth salon where she also assists with the salon boutique. She enjoys gardening and belongs to two garden clubs. When the family owned the farm property Nadine often visited to check on things and to garden since she lived the closest.

Book Reviewer Note: I was fortunate to receive input for this review from Colleen Gengler. The Hondl Family submitted photos.