John Karl Niermeyer

OBITUARY John Karl Niermeyer, 81, of Tyngsboro, known to family and friends as "Karl," passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, surrounded by his family. Karl was born in Framingham, MA on July 8, 1944, the oldest of six children of the late William Earl and Kathleen (Mullen) Niermeyer of Framingham. He graduated from Framingham High School in 1962, the last class to graduate before the school was split into two high schools: Framingham North and Framingham South. Karl attended Northeastern University from 1963 through 1965, attaining his Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was self-employed, working part-time during college, and then full-time through 1966, clearing building lots. He was then employed by Framingham State College through 1967, followed by Philips International, a division of Philips Screw Company until 1971, where he worked as a draughtsman/technician. In October of 1971 Karl joined Millipore Corporation where he began his career as an engineer. His department was spun off into a separate company and became Mykrolis Corporation, which later merged with Entegris, Inc., both leading suppliers to the global semiconductor and related industries. While at Entegris, Karl volunteered as a mentor for the FIRST Robotics program. Karl finished his career at Entegris as a principal consulting engineer in 2020. At the time of his retirement, he had the most seniority in the company (49 years), starting with his days at Millipore. Over the course of his career, he contributed substantially to the success of the company, being awarded, singularly or with a group, 30 US patents, in addition to some foreign patents. In his younger years, Karl enjoyed downhill skiing, sailing, volleyball, bowling, gardening, backyard bird watching, fishing, and vacationing with his family at Plum Island. He also enjoyed watching televised sports, in particular the Bruins, Patriots, and Nascar and IndyCar racing, in addition to watching Jeopardy and PBS programs, and doing crossword/Sudoku puzzles. Karl was also a jack-of-all-trades. He could do just about anything, from plumbing, electrical, and mechanical repairs, to building a playhouse and swing set for his children. Karl leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Kathleen (Ryan) Niermeyer, as well as four sons: Kurt (and wife Kelly) Niermeyer of Holden, MA; Scott R. Niermeyer of Suffield, CT; Gregory E. Niermeyer of Lowell, MA; and Matthew K. Niermeyer of Boston, MA; two grandsons, Brett and Jake Niermeyer of Holden, MA; two sisters, Lisa (and husband Peter) Carey of Emerald Isle, NC and Ann M. Matias of Framingham, MA; two brothers, Paul E. (and wife Joan) Niermeyer of Holliston, MA and Mark (and wife Suzanne) Niermeyer of Mystic, CT; sisters-in-law: Sheila (Ryan) Wallace and Vivian (Ryan) Saulnier; brothers-in-law: Charles D. Ryan and Jerome F. Ryan; as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to his parents, he was pre-deceased by his brother Earl W. Niermeyer, parents-in-law Earl E. and Vivian (Gray) Ryan, brothers-in-law John Matias, Earl E. Ryan, Kevin G. Ryan, John M. Wallace, Russell M. Saulnier, and sisters-in-law Molly Sue (Graves) Ryan and Margaret S. (Gardner) Ryan.
FUNERAL NOTICE Karl's visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, from 4 to 7pm and Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, from 10 to 11am at the DOLAN FUNERAL HOME, 106 MIDDLESEX ST., CHELMSFORD. Thursday's visitation will be followed by a service at the funeral home at 11 am. A private burial to take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation in Karl's name may be made to the charity of one's choice. Guestbook at www.dolanfuneralhome.com.