Peter Klein, age 65, of Humboldt passed away on May 26, 2023 at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Mass of the Christian Burial will be 10:30 am Thursday June 1st St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt. Burial will take place at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be 5-7 pm on Wednesday May 31st at Lentz Funeral Home in Humboldt, with a 4:45 pm Rosary and 7:00 pm Scripture Service.
Peter Eugene Klein was born on January 14, 1958 to Raymond “Ray” and Genevieve (Wagner) Klein. Arriving on the couple’s first anniversary, Peter enjoyed 19 months of their full attention before three sisters followed in short order (with the family complete just shy of the couple’s fifth wedding milestone).
Part of a large extended Catholic family (on both sides), Peter and his sisters spent many days and weekends with aunts, uncles and cousins — many of whom lived on nearby farms. The Kleins resided on Mill (now Main) Street in Dakota City where they enjoyed small-town life and spent countless hours playing in their expansive yard and adjacent garden and ravine. Together they explored the woods, caught fireflies, found treasure, built forts, played pick-up baseball and got into good old-fashioned trouble. Playing cards was also a pastime that continued into adulthood, with the extended family often gathered around the kitchen table playing King’s Corner and Pinochle.
Peter was passionate about history and genealogy, blending the two through the collection of books, stamps, notes, photographs and artifacts from Germany, Luxembourg and Northern Europe. He graduated from Humboldt High School in the United States’ bicentennial year, and from there he fittingly went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history from Briar Cliff University in 1980.
Peter joined the Schwan’s Company after college and lived in Texas and Ohio during his years of service. He returned to Iowa in the 1990s, living in Humboldt and working for Hy-Capacity for 22 years, until his 2021 retirement. As his parents aged, he ensured that they could maintain their independence by driving them to stores and to visit family.
While often a man of few words, Peter was always present for family events and tolerated (and ultimately found humor in) the antics of his nieces and nephews and their children. He also had a soft spot for his furry nephews. He wasn’t much of a cook but he enjoyed many home-cooked meals and roast dinners a la Genevieve.
Peter was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt and the Knights of Columbus.
Peter is survived by his aunt, Sister Imogene Klein of Dubuque; uncle, Joe (Joyce) Wagner of Wesley; sisters, JoAnne (Gary) Kollasch of Algona, Patty Godfrey of Dakota City and Debra Straub of Sioux Falls, S.D.; nieces and nephews, Lisa Frerichs, Sarah Walrack, Graham Straub, Jennifer Jimenez, Daniel Straub, Andrew Kollasch, Sergio Jimenez, Michelle McKinney and Matthew Godfrey; and a growing gaggle of great-nieces and -nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Robert “Bob” Straub.
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