Dolores Mae Huebner

Dolores Mae (Lamb) Huebner died on April 12, 2026, at the age of 99.

She was born in Glyndon, Minnesota, on May 22, 1926, to Walter and Gina (Muhle) Lamb. She grew up in Glyndon, where she graduated from high school in 1944. She then attended North Dakota Agricultural College (now NDSU), earning her bachelor's degree in 1948 with a major in home economics.

In 1949 Dolores married Wayne Huebner, son of William A. and Esther (Nelson) Huebner, at the Glyndon Lutheran Church. They were a singularly well-matched couple, and their bond only strengthened through the 62 years of marriage and teamwork that followed.

During Wayne’s graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, Dolores was the primary breadwinner, teaching at junior high schools in Farmington, Grand Forks, and Minneapolis, as well as doing clerical work at the Twin Cities Arsenal. After the birth of their first child in 1959, however, she was able to devote herself wholeheartedly to her vocation as homemaker, which she pursued with great professional exactitude. Not only did she refine recipes with the precision of a chemist and expertly sew curtains and shades, but she developed a remarkable talent for interior design, became skilled at prepping and painting, kept meticulous records, and educated herself on the finer points of income tax preparation. She also continued to support Wayne’s nascent career as a university professor by carefully typing and retyping his doctoral dissertation through its many drafts and revisions.

Both Dolores and Wayne were passionate travelers, starting with their rustic honeymoon in Canada and encompassing many trips exploring North America and most of Europe. Whether camping or staying in motels, hotels, and private homes, whether visiting Yellowstone or Budapest, Dolores planned each trip with intensive research and carefully documented sights seen, mileage driven, and expenses incurred.

Naturally, Dolores paid close attention to the education and interests of her children, regularly meeting with their teachers and making sure they had books, art classes, and music lessons, as well as encouragement to pursue careers that mattered to them. She herself loved to read and also enjoyed listening to music, embroidering, and doing jigsaw puzzles.

She and Wayne loved working outdoors and growing fruits and vegetables—from apricots to zucchini—which she cooked, canned, dried, and froze. While she was never the member of the family who asked to have pets, she demonstrated an unusual affinity for animals, whether she was caring for a disabled rabbit or taming the family’s first duck.

Over the years, Dolores and Wayne lived in a number of cities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Illinois, and California. After Wayne’s death, Dolores resettled in Washington, DC, to spend her remaining years near her son, Todd.

Dolores is survived by her two children, Karla (Dayton, OH) and Todd (Washington, DC), sister-in-law Peggy Huebner, and many nieces and nephews, along with their progeny. She was preceded in death by Wayne, her parents, her brother Wally (Iris) and sister Lois (Ron) Schur; her siblings-in-law Berdelle (Abner) Kragnes, June (Walt) Westerberg, Maggie (Wally) Ekanger, Bill (Arlys) Huebner, Betty (Jack) Bishop, Esther (Don) Horner, and John Huebner; her nephews John Nelson Huebner, Mike Schur, and Paul Huebner; and her niece Cheryl (Kragnes) Harrington.

Following a memorial luncheon at the Diederich Atrium at NDSU's McGovern Alumni Center, Fargo, on June 23, her ashes will be interred at Riverside Cemetery near Glyndon, Minnesota. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Riverside Cemetery or World Central Kitchen.