Joan Marie Ahlfs

Joan Ahlfs, 76 of Ottertail, Minnesota died Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at Perham Health in Perham.

Joan Marie Ahlfs was born on September 9, 1948, in Parkers Prairie, Minnesota to James and Esther (Sandahl) Underhill, the tenth of eleven children. She attended country school in Folden Hills, graduating from Henning High School in 1966. After graduation, she ventured to the Minneapolis area, working at Musingwear. Completing only the book portion of Cosmetology school at Wadena Tech School in 1975, she missed a career in her true calling in life, which is that of a beauty connoisseur.

In Joan’s first marriage, two children were born, Stephanie while living in Ponca City, Oklahoma and Jonathan when they returned to Vining. Joan married Larry Ahlfs on December 16, 1978. Together, Larry and Joan built their walkout rambler on Larry’s home dairy farm on West Leaf Lake, spending many long weekends and late nights in completing this building project. Venturing beyond homemaker, Joan picked up her first part-time gig at a clothing boutique in Wadena, soon after joining Dorrow’s Mink farm – a seasonal job full of women gossiping, bantering with constant stories coming home to the dinner table. Soon after, she joined the crew of the Henning Hatchery, taking on the unique profession of sexing engineer. Joan’s last work role she was deeply dedicated too, and incredibly proud, was caring for severely developmentally disabled residents at a Wadena group home for 10 years, showering her residents with care, compassion, grace and love. Larry passed away on November 19, 2020. Joan had resided for the past 14 months at Perham Living.

Setting the facts of it all aside, Joan’s joy was found in the word grandma, creating new meaning for spoil them rotten; indulgent the word from grandson, Sam. Every grandson was her ‘favorite’. An eternal night owl, every slumber party was a guarantee of midnight strawberry or raspberry sundaes, or malts whirled to perfection served in the OG McD malt cups. Shenanigans were always present, one of the epic - an unscathed figure eight spinout in an ice storm – Noah, Jack, Sam and grandma still intact at its end. Joan even entertained deer hunting with her son, Jon a season or two, landing herself a six-point buck. No meal was complete, as Nick would add without the perfection of her mashed potatoes to top it all off.

Words used to describe grandma by her lot of grandsons – tough, resilient, fun, spicy, sassy, silly, stubborn, sweet, outgoing, courageous, a fighter, frank, snappy, persuasive, tardy at times, caring, passionate and most of all - loving.

Joan is survived by two children, Stephanie (Brad Herzberg) Becker of Fergus Falls, her sons Nick, Jack and Colin; and Jonathan Wiek of Deer Creek, his sons Keenan, Dylan (great-grandson, Wesson), Noah, and Sam; sisters, Lorraine (Jerry) Erickson and Rita (Bernal) Cichy, brother Darrol Underhill; and sisters-in-law Mary Underhill and Pat Ahlfs, many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

She is proceeded in death by her husband, Larry Ahlfs, parents, James and Esther Underhill; sisters, Gloria (Leo) Hemmerlin, Joyce (Doyle) Miller, Shirley (Gerald) Suchy and Judy Underhill; brothers, Daniel, Robert (Lorraine) and Dennis.

Memorial Service: 2:00 pm, Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Glende-Nilson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls with visitation two hours prior to the service.

Interment: Nidaros Lutheran Cemetery, rural Clitherall.

Funeral Home: Glende-Nilson of Fergus Falls.