Thomas Ralph Niedermaier

Thomas Ralph Niedermaier died peacefully at home on November 19. He was surrounded by his family and beloved dogs.

Thomas is survived by his wife Jackie; his children Daniel and Theresa; step-children Meredith, Wesley and Drew; his grandchildren Juliana, Hanna, Kai, Joseph, Ava, Tommy, Danny, Katelynn, Jack, Maddie, Claire and Sam; brother David and sisters Nadine, Mary and Julie and many nieces and nephews.

Thomas is preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Pauline, his son David, brother Michael and sister Teresa.

Tom was born in Detroit, Michigan, spent his younger years in Minneapolis and then attended St. Thomas Academy. He was an all-star at football, basketball and baseball.

He was a history major at the University of Minnesota and a walk- on for Gopher Football.

His first career was as a painter and then he became an air traffic controller in his mid 20s. One of his career highlights was as the air traffic control liaison for the build of the new Reagan National air traffic control tower.

Upon his retirement, he set out to prove that an average single family could make a living as an organic farmer. They embarked on their journey in Bluegrass, Virginia and created Sweet Rose Farm. This 88 acre self- made organic farm consisted of 4000 apple trees and 2000 other various fruit trees. He also grew a large variety of berries, all of which the grandkids enjoyed picking and eating every summer. Whether it was using the greenhouses he built into the mountain side or planting 10 apple varieties all harvesting at different times of the fall, Tom relied on his innovative instincts to reach his sustainability goal. One of the more innovative projects was to plan and create a greenhouse to extended the growing season. Tom and Jackie successfully lived this dream for 14 years.

Tom was a modern renaissance man. He was never afraid to try or learn anything new, whether it was his love for European history, music, farming, house painting, dog training, and most recently golf. He was devoted to God and his family.

Thomas loved playing games with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed board games, playing whiffle ball or any other variety of sports, especially when he was winning (Jump Hook!). Embracing his competitive spirit, he didn’t shy away from beating his grandkids at Pickleball, Uno, or anything that would teach the young ones how to lose gracefully. Many tears were shed in the process!

Tom fought hard against pancreatic cancer for the last 8 1/2 months. He showed us a level of strength throughout the treatment process that inspired those around him. In the end, he taught us that it wasn’t about beating the cancer, it was about embracing death with humility and grace. He accepted and embraced God’s will in both life and death.

The funeral will be held at St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church. Service will begin at 3pm with a visitation one hour prior. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (Pancan), where a memorial page has been set up.