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Adele Kontos • 1909 - 2006 Adele Kontos, 96, longtime resident of Minot, formerly of Bismarck, died Sunday, March 19, 2006, at a Minot nursing home. She had been living at Edgewood Vista in Minot prior to entering the nursing home. She was born Sept. 15, 1909, in Emmons County, ND, a daughter of Frank and Barbara (Feist) Volk. She was raised and educated in the communities of Pretty Rock and Strasburg, ND, and later moved to Bismarck. She married Sam J. Kontos at Mandan on Aug. 24, 1933. They made their home in Bismarck where he worked as a musician. He was a professional clarinetist who performed with some of the leading orchestras of the country, subsequently forming his own band in Bismarck in 1933. In 1944, Adele and Sam moved with their family to Minot to assume operation of the Dutch Mill, a popular Minot nightclub which they owned with George Kontos, a brother of Sam. Adele worked fulltime at The Mill and at the same time, raised four children - something of a rarity in the 1940s. She participated in her childrens' school functions at St. Leo's Catholic School in Minot, including the Parent Teacher Association. She was a member of St. Leo's Parish and a former member of St. Leo's Confraternity. In later years, she was a member of St. John the Apostle Catholic Parish before returning to St. Leo's. The original Dutch Mill was destroyed by fire in 1949. The Kontoses rebuilt it and continued to operate the facility until selling it and retiring in 1975. Sam, as the lead musician in the family, was the headliner at The Mill. His own band was featured there, and he brought in other musicians. In time, Adele and Sam's daughter Nita performed there as a vocalist and pianist On occasion, their other daughter Barbara and son John also sang there. Their son Al opened The Little Dutch Mill on an adjacent property. Adele was the mainstay of the Dutch Mill, the one they all leaned on. The place was a popular nightery where people went out in style to wine and dine and dance. Adele presided over the crowds from a focal point behind the bar, carefully monitoring everything that went on there and in the dining room. Often, she repaired to the kitchen to assemble a salad or to serve up a steak for a late-night diner. Adele was the original multi-tasker. Her assignments included listening to the tales of Dutch Mill patrons, wondering at their antics, but never telling what she knew. Only God knows the secrets that Adele is carrying to her grave. When she had time, Adele played bridge. But her favorite role was as family matriarch. Under her guidance, they remain a close-knit, loving and supportive group, who gather frequently for reunions and other celebrations. Her husband Sam died in 1987. Adele is survived by daughters, Nita Kontos Roberts, Bismarck, and Barbara Kontos, Palm Desert, CA; son, Al (Susy) Kontos, Coeur D'Alene, ID; grandchildren, Barbara (Mark) Kohlman, Minot, Kim (Dan) Horn, Palm Desert, Mark (Carol) Kontos, Coeur D'Alene; great-grandchildren, Kristina and Derek Grindle, Karly and Jordan Kontos, and Andrew Kohlman; sister, Agnes Hoenk, Kansas City, KS. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a son John, six sisters and three brothers. Funeral: Friday, March 24, 2006, at 1 p.m. at St. Leo's Catholic Church, Minot. Burial: Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot. Visitation and Rosary: Visitation will be Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home, Minot, with the rosary recitation there at 5 p.m. Memorials are preferred to the Benedictine Foundation at the Sacred Heart Monastery, Post Office Box 364, Richardton, ND 58652. Celebrant of the Liturgies: Father Chris B. Walter Music: Nita Kontos-Roberts, vocalist Active Bearers: Jim Volk, Ron Volk, Hugh Sanders, Andy
Wald, Jim Maragos, Wally Berning |