Kenneth Milo Ahrens

Kenneth Milo Ahrens passed away peacefully in his home in Cashmere, WA, on Sunday, March 15, 2020, after an extended illness. Ken was a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, and Grampie. Ken was born on September 10, 1947, in Algona, IA, to Milo and Ann Ahrens. At age five, Ken moved with the family to Yuma, AZ, for 18 months. Then, the family moved to Quincy, WA, to farm, in 1954. He graduated from Quincy High School in 1965. As a young boy, Ken started taking piano lessons. It turned out that he had a natural talent for piano. He never had to be coaxed to practice and would come right in and sit down at the piano after he finished his irrigation work on the farm. His jeans were usually a little wet from irrigating when he sat down on the piano bench, and until today, you can see a pattern of his pants on that bench. Ken served in the Army from 1969-1972. He was a military policeman and dog handler, and worked as a guard in Fairbanks, AK, with his dog, Rusty. After returning home from his Army duty, Ken married Pamela Starmer and taught school for several years, before his father asked if he would come to Cashmere and help him take care of his orchard, as he had terminal cancer. He moved to Cashmere to help his father, and later bought the orchard and raised his family there until his retirement, and continued living at the orchard until his last day. In 1977, Ken and Pam welcomed their first son, Nathan, and he was followed by little brother, Kevin, in 1982. In addition to being an orchardist, Ken was an occasional substitute teacher. Continuing with his love of music, he played in local bands starting in high school, and continued for many years, off and on. Most recently, he faithfully played the organ for his church home, Christ Center. Over the years, Ken wrote well over 1,000 pieces of music and was a published poet. He had a wonderful gift of writing and could say 'the most with the fewest words'. In recent years, Ken not only played piano, organ, and harmonica for his church, but was active in Bible study and growth groups. He had a strong Christian faith which sustained him. Ken also loved Volkswagens and he attended as many Bug-ins as he could. In 2007, he married Janice Ahrens, and they enjoyed many great years together. They spent lots of time taking walks around the orchard, worshipping with their friends at Christ Center, and traveling around the country with their travel trailer. They took many trips, sightseeing and visiting family. He enjoyed his last years at the family orchard, keeping up on irrigation with his son, Kevin, and graciously stopping to give rides when the grandkids heard his 4-wheeler puttering by, as they would burst out the door yelling "Grampie!". As a youngster and throughout his life, he was thought of as humorous, musical, kind, and modest. One of the greatest gifts he left his kids and grandkids, was a treasury of cd recordings of his whimsical and often hilarious stories featuring each of the kids as the main character in turn. His family also has a musical archive with the songs that he composed, preformed, and recorded in his home studio. We are so thankful for these recordings that continue his legacy of loving God, loving people, and taking the time to have fun and enjoy what God has given us. Ken was preceded in death by his father, Milo Irving Ahrens; and his mother, Anna Marie Ahrens. He is survived by his wife, Janice; and her children: Ellie, Robert, Roland, and Jeanine; his sons: Nathan (wife, Casey; children, Alaina, Issac, and Isabella) and Kevin (wife, Kristi; children, Milo, Nicholas, and Leah). He has three surviving sisters, Jacqueline (Claude) McCoy of North Port, FL; Marilyn (Mike) Jones of Quincy, WA; and Christine (Bob) Weisel of Issaquah, WA. A Memorial Service will be planned for a later date. Arrangements assisted by Chapel of the Valley, Wenatchee, WA.

Kenneth Milo Ahrens

September 10, 1947 - March 15, 2020