Peter Jennings

Peter Jennings entered the peace of Heaven on his birthday, November 16, 2014 from the Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN after a courageous fight with brain cancer.
Peter Henry Jennings was the firstborn of triplets born to Robert and Phyllis Ann (Paquette) Jennings on November 16, 1955 in St. Cloud, MN. He and his brothers graduated from St. Cloud Tech High School with the Class of 1974. Pete then served his country as a U S Marine stationed in the Mediterranean. He worked primarily as an aircraft mechanic specializing in helicopter repairs. He was honorably discharged in 1977 and moved back to Minnesota upon his return when he was hired as the chief engineer at the Holiday Inn in Minneapolis. On May 4, 1985 Pete married Wendy Kanne in Bloomington, MN. They moved to Osakis in 1992 and Pete did construction work for D & W Construction. He then operated his own business as a drywall and painting professional. In the 90's, Pete took a mechanical drafting course at Alexandria Technical College and also did photography work with his father, Robert, and in 2009 he started a new business in Osakis called County Line Marine and Storage. He was a member of the Osakis Lutheran Church.
Pete will be remembered for many things, but few will forget his easy and infectious laugh and his tendency to remind others that "it's the little things" that matter in life. He was not a materialistic person and found great reward in helping others. His greatest joy was just being around his family. He didn't need a fancy restaurant to be entertained and was happy just enjoying a meal at McDonalds. Pete was a lifelong learner who enjoyed reading technical manuals, books and even dictionaries just to expand his knowledge. He was a 'grammar Nazi' and it served him well when he was in a close game of Scrabble! Not one to watch TV, he spent many hours outdoors and never tired of working in his garden or doing yard work. Pete also enjoyed bird watching, especially hummingbirds and eagles and had recently learned about operating ham radios.
He is survived by his devoted wife of 29 years, Wendy Jennings of Osakis; a daughter and son-in-law, Kiersten & Derek Fennern of Mankato; a son, Charlie Jennings of Mankato; his second mother, Mary Jane Jennings of St. Cloud; six siblings, Jeffrey (Kathy) Jennings and Craig Jennings, all of St. Cloud, triplet brother, Philip Jennings of Brainerd, Scott (Beverly) Jennings of St. Cloud, Steven (Renee) Jennings of Buffalo, Mary (Duane) Ferrario of Oak Grove; brother-in-law, Russell Pribanic of New Milford, CT and sisters-in-law, Donna Jennings of North Carolina and Vickie (Robert) Beneke of Tokyo, Japan; many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, sister, Susan Pribanic, his triplet brother, Paul Jennings, niece, Abigail Jennings, father-in-law, Robert Kanne and sister-in-law, Kim Jennings.
Funeral services will be held for Pete on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 3:00 pm at the Osakis Lutheran Church with Rev. Rich Fitzer officiating. Reader is Ben Johnson. Musicians are organist, Vicki Hinrichs and soloist, Dana Hetland. Honorary bearers are all the men and women who have or are serving our country. Active bearers are Jeffrey, Craig, Philip, Scott and Steven Jennings, Robert Beneke. Military honors will be provided by Osakis VFW Post Honor Guard. Inurnment is at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in rural Osakis.
Arrangements are being handled by the Roy-Hetland Funeral Home in Osakis, MN.