Peter Voldeng

Peter Rosemond Voldeng, 81, left this world on June 20, 2025. He died peacefully at home in Lawrence with his family around him.

He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 1, 1943. He was adopted into the family of Dr. Karl E. and Mary Frances Voldeng and grew up in Wellington.

He graduated from Wellington High School in 1961, then attended Kansas University majoring in art and specializing in jewelry making. He had a jewelry shop in the 700 block of Massachusetts Street in the late 1960s and later in Taos, N.M. He moved to San Francisco, where he also made jewelry and worked odd jobs.

In the mid 1970s Pete moved back to Lawrence, where he met Barbara Stephenson. They had a son, Nelson Voldeng.

Pete did various construction jobs, was an after-market crop farmer, drove a wrecker truck and was a house husband for many, many years. In the early 1990s the family moved to Wisconsin, where he would have happily lived out the rest of his days, had it not been for medical problems. He and Barbara returned to Lawrence in 2022.

Pete loved to talk and entertained many friends and family with his stories and exploits. He was an excellent cook and loved to grill and barbeque. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, mushroom hunting, riding motorcycles, and watching Formula 1 and motorcycle racing.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his son, Nelson, Prescott, Ariz.; a brother, Karl Voldeng Jr. of Scottsdale, Ariz.; his nephews, Matthew Voldeng, Bentonville, Ark., Kurt Voldeng, Memphis, Tenn., and Jack Cossitt, Hamilton, N.Y.; and his niece, Erika Cossitt Volpiano, Tucson, Ariz. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Albert Nelson Voldeng; and his sister, Prudence Voldeng Cossitt

A memorial gathering will be held this fall at his home in Lawrence.

Memorial contributions can be made to Ascend Hospice & Palliative Care at 4550 W. 109th., Suite 210 Overland Park, Kansas 66211.