Calvin Ahlquist Obituary

Age 71 of South St. Paul
Calvin John Ahlquist was born on October 9th, 1953 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. He was one of six children of Albert "Al" Ahlquist and Virginia (Carlson) Ahlquist. He passed away unexpectedly, surrounded by family on July 5th, 2025 at United Hospital due to complications from pancreatic cancer.
Calvin grew up in West St. Paul, MN, with his five siblings and parents. As a young boy, Calvin was adventurous, always active and playing outside with his friends and siblings. He attended church regularly with his family, sitting in the same pew. Calvin continued to bring his mother to church until her passing in 2018.
Cal met his wife Carol at Henry Sibley High School (Class of 1972) when they were just 14 years old. They started dating on October 31, 1968 and were married on May 11, 1974, celebrating 51 years of marriage this year. They were devoted to building a strong and loving family, developing special traditions, and happily caring for their aging parents. Together their whole lives, it's impossible to imagine one without the other. They have been "Carol and Cal" as far as most people can remember.
They have three daughters, Sarah, Sally, and Sadie. Cal was the best dad, working hard to provide the best possible lives for his daughters. He supported them in all of their endeavors and was so proud of each of them for their varying accomplishments. To his daughters, Cal was the strongest man they knew, and they all looked up to him with admiration and appreciation. Whether it be time spent fishing, playing poker or other games, going for nature hikes, watching sports or movies, swimming in the lake, eating a delicious meal he prepared for the family, or just sitting and "jabbering", he always found the time to make special memories with each of his girls. Calvin taught his daughters life lessons with his unique stories, as well as lessons of how to fix things. Most notably, Calvin had been teaching them how to operate and maintain the family cabin. They will forever miss being able to call him with a question for help. Having three girls, Cal was often subjected to a rambunctious household of not only his daughters, but also all of their friends. He cared for all of them, and always welcomed everyone with a cheery greeting and conversation, usually coming home with food from the Pizza Factory. Calvin was the dependable, caring and trustworthy father his daughters could count on for love and support, and his loss will forever be felt by his family.
Cal was the hardest working man around. In his youth, he worked summers on his grandpa's farm in Harris, MN. At the age of 12, Calvin started working at Larson's Greenhouse in Mendota Heights. After high school, he was a welder for 12 years at Donaldson Manufacturing in Eagan. In 1985 Cal and Carol took ownership of the family business, the Pizza Factory in North St. Paul. After 40 years, Cal retired in April, 2024. Over the years, Cal made many friends and touched countless lives while owning the Pizza Factory. The restaurant continues to thrive under new ownership, carrying on the family legacy using the same recipes that have kept customers happy for generations.
Cal was very athletic and loved both playing and watching sports. He played softball with "The Dragons", hockey, football, and broomball. He also enjoyed bowling and golfing. He especially loved the Minnesota Vikings and the rare times that he could get away from work and go to a game with "Limo Dave" and friends.
Some of Cal's favorite memories were going on adventures with his beloved brother, David. Together he and David enjoyed being in nature and fishing. On one of their fishing trips in Alaska, Cal caught a salmon shark, a rare accomplishment for a fisherman. His favorite place on Earth was at the family cabin in northern MN. Calvin's spirit will always be felt there, enjoying the beautiful views and listening to the loons sing.
He was preceeded in death by his father Albert Ahlquist, mother Virginia Ahlquist, father-in-law James Bigelow, mother-in-law Georgette Bigelow, brother David Ahlquist, sister Julie Ahlquist, brother-in-law Jimmy Bigelow, and niece Kellie Jo Melquist. He is survived by his wife Carol Ahlquist, his three daughters Sarah (Billy) Schneider, Sally (Peter) Eltjes, Sadie (Kevin) Doran, his three cats Gary ("Gare Dog"), Baby Keith ("Little") and Bruno ("The Mayor of Brunski City"), along with nine "grandcats." He is also survived by his sister, Pamela (Joey) Newman, brother Dale (Laura) Ahlquist, sister Carla (John) Heldt, sisters-in-law Susan Ahlquist, Connie Gott-McCoy, Colleen (Brad) Johnson, brother-in-law Bill Bigelow, along with several nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends.
Calvin was a one-of-a-kind, genuine, loving, and caring soul. He had the ability to make everybody that he talked to feel like they were the most important person in the world. He was a man of Christian faith, a devoted husband, the epitome of a great dad, a cherished family member, a mentor and father figure to many, and a friend to all. We have said many times that everybody loves Cal. Many people are heartbroken with this loss, and the world will never be the same without him and his sense of humor. He will forever be missed. If Cal was still around to say goodbye, he would wish you the best and tell you to "have a good one."
Funeral services will be at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 1979 Old Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN 55119 on Saturday July 19th, 2025. Visitation at 1:00 pm, Service at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to The Animal Humane Society of Minnesota, Minnesota DNR, or donor's choice.
We love you Calvin/Dad.