Born on October 8, 1948, he was baptized on October 31 and confirmed on April 15, 1962, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Whittemore, IA. He married Mary Jo (Fritz) on October 19, 1968, and spent 56 loving years as husband and father to Mark, Scott, and Kathy. After graduating from the Brown Institute in June 1968, he spent the next 25 years working in electronic sales and service. He was a talented technician and could make work the most challenging of projects. In 1995, after he and Mom moved from the Twin Cities to New Ulm, he began his second full career as the building maintenance and transportation coordinator for Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School. He was an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of Christian education, a commitment that began with his own schooling and continued through his children and grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoyed genealogy, woodworking, traveling, and camping with Mom. In retirement, they would often spend their weekends traveling around the Midwest visiting churches, cemeteries, and the smallest of county courthouses in search of names and dates to add to the extensive family tree he assembled for our family. He loved spending time watching his grandchildren’s ball games and visiting their schools for Grandparents’ Day.

His faith in God’s goodness was sustained by his dedication to being in the Word. He found comfort in his confirmation verse, Ephesians 2:8,9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Dad fully understood his imperfections (especially challenging for an old German) while also knowing that Jesus’ perfect life and death provided salvation for him.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Jo; children, Mark, Scott (Katie), and Kathy (Jon); grandchildren, Clara (Dylan), Ella, Leo, Emme, Colin, Juliet, Georgia, and William.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Maynard and Lida Roeber, and his in-laws, Leo and Norma Fritz, brothers-in-law, Roger Steiner and Willie Morrow, and sister-in-law, Barbara Morrow.

A funeral service will be held on October 17th, 2025, at 11 AM at St. John’s Lutheran in New Ulm, MN. Visitation begins at 10 AM, one hour before the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes gifts to West Lutheran High School, Plymouth, MN; St. Croix Lutheran Academy, West St. Paul, MN; or Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School, New Ulm, MN.

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