Louise Honegger

Louise Lucille Honegger passed away peacefully on June 23, 2021 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was born Luigia Lucia D'Agostino in Cervinara, Italy, on December 22, 1926, with her legal birthday recorded as January 1, 1927. When she was six, her parents moved with her and her two younger brothers to the United States because her parents wouldn't live under the dictator Benito Mussolini's rule. Her paternal grandfather had come to the US and was naturalized in 1886, so Louise came to America as a US citizen. She was always proud of both her Italian heritage and her US citizenship. Three younger brothers and two sisters were later born in New York City.

Louise graduated with highest honors from NYC's Washington Irving High School and a full scholarship to Hunter College, which she could not attend as she was needed to help at home and with the family businesses. She met Californian Lawrence Honegger writing to him in the Navy during WWII. They were married in 1947, and were able to live for many years near both D'Agostino and Honegger families, thanks to Larry's work with W. &J Sloane, which owned stores on both coasts. In 1971, they settled in Connecticut to run one of the D'Agostino family carpet stores. Louise was a homemaker and community volunteer until joining Larry in the business. Larry and Louise were married for 32 years when he passed away of a heart attack in 1978, while they were vacationing out West. Soon after this, she moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, and Laguna Woods, CA, where until age 88, she bought and flipped real estate, managed a number of condos she owned, and remained active volunteering with a number of organizations in both communities. In 2015, she moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to be near her eldest daughter and family.

Louise is survived by 3 children: Doreen (Edward) Thomas of Kalamazoo; Nancy (Craig) Miller of Scottsdale, Arizona; Art (Carrie) Honegger of Del Mar, California; 5 grandchildren: John (Linnaea) Thomas, James (Heather) Thomas, Lauren Ashley Miller, Hailey and Carley Honegger; and 5 great-grandchildren. Louise's ashes will be buried with her beloved Larry at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Roman Catholic services will be held.