Roger W. Niederkorn

Roger William Niederkorn, 65, of Ettrick passed away unexpectedly at home, May 25, 2025.
Roger was born December 7, 1959, in Port Washington, to Robert and Mary Ellen (Bley) Niederkorn. After graduating from G-E-T High School, he worked at Coast-to-Coast in Galesville and then for G-E-T school district, driving buses and working in the bus garage. He later went to school to be an aviation mechanic and worked for Midwest Express Airline in Milwaukee. Roger grounded many planes over the years because of how meticulous he was. One of those planes was Air Force One. President George W. Bush said he wasn’t riding in that plane unless a mechanic was with, so Roger flew to New York on Air Force One. When he returned home, he worked at Nelson Muffler and lastly as a mechanic at Reedy Concrete. This is where he was able to effectively use one of his biggest talents of being able to “fix anything with an engine”. He was also a member of the Galesville Fire Department for many years.
Roger married Julie Rieck, June 26, 1997, and together they had four sons. His boys are where he passed on some of his best traits. The ability to fix cars, his work ethic and his willingness to help other people. His son, Robbie, shared that the boys knew that no matter what they did, their dad would always have their back. The connection was so deep between Roger and his boys that he was the best man in his son Larry’s wedding. Roger was always working on a project and, most of the time, it was for someone else. For Roger, showing love was fixing something for you. If he fixed something for you, you knew that he loved you!
In addition to his love for his sons, Roger had an enormous love for his grandkids and little kids in general. Maybe it was because he was just a big kid himself, but all little kids were drawn to Roger. When the grandkids stayed at their house, they always wanted to sleep with Grandpa. Partially because of the candy he had around, but mostly because of his goofy personality.
His most prized possession was his 1967 Impala. Roger bought it when he was 16 at a junk yard for $50 and spent the rest of his life taking meticulous care of it.
At Christmas, it was never about gifts. We all just wanted him to make his mother, Mary Ellen’s fudge. He was the keeper of the recipe after she passed and loved making and giving it away to others. Only his son, Roger knows that family secret.
In his younger years, you would find him playing volleyball or basketball with friends. Roger loved spending time with his brothers. Whether it was racing dirt track, pulling tractors, building demo cars, working at their hunting land, cutting wood or just helping each other out, “The Niederkorn Boys” were always together. The list is long of what these boys got into together over the years. But it would always be together, and they all knew they could count on one another.
If you knew or had heard of the Niederkorn Boys, you knew that fighting was in their blood. They dominated the Tough Man competition for years. Roger once shared with one of his brothers that one of his proudest moments in life was the year he won the Tough Man. With his family and friends in the stands and his brothers in his corner. They were always together when fighting, no matter who was actually out in the ring.
Roger is survived by his wife, Julie; and their four children: Michael Hirschfield, Larry (Jenn) Niederkorn, Robbie Niederkorn, and Roger Niederkorn; grandchildren: Porter, Liliah and Nash Hirschfield; brothers: Reed (Brenda) Niederkorn, Randy (Tonya) Niederkorn, Robert (Tammy) Niederkorn, Richard (Martina) Niederkorn; brother in-law, Jeff (Rebecca) Rieck; Lori (Troy) Marsolek; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Ellen Niederkorn; his father, Robert G. Niederkorn; his mother-in-law, Judy Rieck; and father-in-law, Larry Rieck; and his baby brother, Francis.
Friends and family were invited to a Celebration Gathering, Sunday, June 1, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., at Dickinson Funeral Home, 515 McHugh Rd., Holmen, with a time to share remembrances at 11:00 a.m. Following the gathering, friends and family were invited to a meal in Roger’s honor at Beaver Creek Supper Club in Ettrick, starting at 1:00 p.m.
The Dickinson Family Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Please visit www.dickinsonfuneralhomes.com to share on line condolences.