IN MEMORIAM
EXPANDED EULOGIES
Dale Honeck
Cremation has taken place for Dale Eugene Honeck, 74, of Park City, who passed away July 20 at Avita Assisted Living, Wichita, and a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
Honeck was a former Hillsboro principal and girls basketball coach.
Honeck was born March 8, 1946, in San Diego, California, to Cecil and Hazel (Hobbs) Honeck. Dale’s father served in the United States Navy, and the family moved several times throughout the U.S. before he graduated in 1964 from Marshalltown High School in Iowa, where he excelled in baseball and basketball.
Dale went on to play both sports at Marshalltown Community College and Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, then attended the University of Virginia, where he received his master’s degree.
After graduation, Dale began coaching at College of the Albemarle on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
In 1974, while coaching basketball at Southwest State University, Marshall, Minnesota, he met Mary Peterson, who also worked at the school. They married on May 31, 1975, and had two daughters together.
Dale spent his career in education, having a passion for teaching government and history and coaching basketball at both high school and college levels in several states before settling down in Kansas, where he became a high school principal in Hugoton for nearly 10 years, then Hillsboro, where he retired.
After a 16-year hiatus, he returned to coaching for one season while serving as the principal at Hillsboro, stepping in as head coach for the girls varsity basketball team and leading them to a state title in 2007.
Dale was a doting grandpa to his grandkids and loved telling stories, and making them laugh.
In his retirement, Dale spent his time attending their many school and athletic events, taking his dog on daily walks, keeping up with politics, NCAA basketball and going with his wife to Wichita State University women’s volleyball and basketball games.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Barbara Fulcher.
Dale is survived by wife Mary of Park City; daughters Amy Jones (and husband Trey) of Nickerson and Kate Honas (and husband Craig) of Morrison, Colorado; grandchildren Hunter, Ava, and Creek Jones; brothers Mark Honeck of San Diego and Paul Honeck of Little Rock, Akansas; and sister, Becky Manship of Conrad, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Dale Eugene Honeck Memorial Fund, in care of Elliott Mortuary and Crematory, 1219 N Main St, Hutchinson, KS 67501.
The family would like to thank the staff at Avita Assisted Living and Memory Care for their wonderful care they provided to Dale.