Rev. Dennis Charles Ahl, age 65, of North Mankato, died on Tuesday, November 20, 2007, at his home after having fought a losing bout with cancer.
Funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 24, 2007, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, with Rev. Steve Kosberg and Rev. Eugene Glade officiating. Inurnment will be in Woodland Hills Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the time of service at the church on Saturday. Mankato Mortuary is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Hosanna Lutheran Church or Habitat for Humanity.
Dennis was born on August 11, 1942, to Harold and Lillian (Flitter) Ahl. In his baptism into Christ's death and resurrection on September 13, 1942, he was given a life that not even death can overcome. He grew up in the Mankato area and graduated from Mankato High School in 1960. After high school, he attended St. John's College, Winfield, Kansas, Concordia Senior College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, graduating from there in 1968. After a year of graduate study at Concordia Seminary, he supply taught for one year at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana. He was then called to a dual parish northwest of Alexandria, which he served from 1970 to 1978, after which he accepted a call from Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, serving that parish from 1979 to 2003, when he retired to establish what he had hoped would be a flower garden open to the public on his ten acre plot of land.
He is survived by his mother, Lillian E. Ahl-Timm; two brothers, Douglas (Edie) Ahl and David Ahl; two sisters, Sharon Ahl and Dawn (Gary) Deinert; a nephew, Joseph, five nieces, Kari, Kathy, Tracy, Kristin, and Nicole. Dennis was preceded in death by his father, Harold W. Ahl.
Dennis thanks his primary doctor, his oncologist and oncology nurses at ISJ Hospital and the nurses and doctors at Queen of Peace Hospital in New Prague.