Pedro "Pete" Ahlers

Pedro "Pete" Eldon Ahlers, age 76, of Carlos, Minnesota, died Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria, Minnesota.  Pete was born November 14, 1941 in Clear Lake, South Dakota, the second child of six to Peter and Annie (Wassenaar) Ahlers.

In 1968, Pete married Sherrie (Rohweller) with whom he had one daughter, Tammy, in 1969.  In 1979, he married LaVonne (Kasper) with whom he had three sons: Phillip (1979), Jonathan (1988), and Nathan (1989).

He received his diploma from Long Prairie High School in 1980.

Pete held many jobs throughout his life, including truck driver, welder, builder, and laborer; but his favorite and longest occupation was as a professional musician, which included manager and bass player for the Rocky Road band.

His hobbies included everything Case, shopping, garage-saling, crank machines, scratch-off tickets, trips to the casino, and making music. Pete's faith was very important to him; he was baptized in 2010 as a member of the Lakes Area Seventh-day Adventist Church in Alexandria; finding this community had a huge impact on Pete's life.

For over twenty years Pete successfully battled Parkinson's disease. In his spirit of always helping others, beginning in 2009, he held five annual musical concerts to raise money for the Parkinson's Foundation Minnesota, enlisting the help of good friends and family to perform and performing himself as Hobo Pete among other characters.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, LaVonne (Kasper); his daughter Tammy (Duane) VanBockern and sons Phillip Ahlers, Jonathan (Nicki Griffin) Ahlers, and Nathan (Kristina) Ahlers; his grandchildren Justin, Ariann, Alice, and Natalie; and great-grandchildren Mykl, Harmony, and Noah.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral services are to be held Friday, March 16, at 11:00 AM at the Lakes Area Seventh-day Adventist Church, 201 13th Ave W (off Fillmore) in Alexandria with a visitation beginning an hour before.  Burial will follow the service at Kinkead Cemetery in Alexandria with a lunch afterwards.

A wake will be held the evening before, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, at Anderson Funeral Home, 659 Voyager Drive in Alexandria.  In honor of Pete's love of music, attendees to the wake are invited to bring along their musical instruments and talent to sing or play their favorite songs.

His family would like to thank all the people through the years who filled Pete's life with love, laughter, and music.  Pete will be remembered forever as a man with a generous, giving spirit who was always thinking of ways to do for others and could never get enough of life.

In lieu of flowers for the funeral, donations in Pete's name are preferred to the Parkinson's Foundation Minnesota, http://parkinson.org/minnesota.