Richard H. Rollmann

The sun set on Richard "Dick" Henry Rollmann's life on Saturday, October 18, 2025 surrounded by his family at his home in Appleton.
Whether known as Dick, Dickie-doo, Daddy-O, Grandpa Dick or Uncle Dick, his name is synonymous with adventures. The adventures began on July 26, 1945, when he was born to his late parents, Sylvester and Leona Rollmann. Raised in Chilton, Wisconsin he grew up farming, chasing rabbits and playing sports. He was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving as border patrol in Germany, and later graduated from UW-Oshkosh. He earned a degree in Physical Education, but never taught a day in his life. As a natural salesman, he gained skills selling cars with his older brother and later sold manufactured homes from his own business, Rollmann Homes in Shawano.
While working hard at Rollmann Homes and other business ventures, Dick had plenty of fun having never met a stranger with his life-of-the-party persona and giant belly laugh. He loved sharing stories of his world travels, including every U.S. state and every continent except Antarctica, and loved telling tales of his hunting/fishing "world record" creatures and many descriptions of "THE BEST [fill-in-the-blank]". His favorite travels included Chile for its beauty, Australia for its many adventures, Tennessee for the comfort of family, and Alaska, where he loved helping his cousin Tom at fish camp.
After retiring from Rollmann Homes, he transitioned his Tomahawk cottage (originally on Lake Alice, later on the Wisconsin River) to his full-time residence. He spent many years hunting and fishing in the glorious Northwoods with friends and family, including 50 years of hunting with his dear friend, Lee Roehrig. It was in Tomahawk that Dick's children and grandchildren enjoyed fishing, card games, fireworks on the pontoon, the serenity of nature and "Grandpa Dick breakfasts". It was also there that his nieces, nephews and their friends made cherished memories with "Uncle Dick" – camping, fishing, paddling, and endless shenanigans.
In 2019, Dick returned to the Fox Valley, where he enjoyed being closer to family and lifelong friends, while also making new friends playing cribbage and in the neighborhood "Driveway Club".
Dick is survived by his daughters: Sarah (Mitch) Probasco and Beth (Matt) Menzel; grandchildren: Caleb, Heidi and Evan Probasco and Vivian, Oscar and Stella Menzel. He is also survived by his sisters: Marlene Wirth, Kathy (John) Beatty, Judy (Jim) Carmack, and Lori (Bill) Wallschlaeger and sisters-in-law: Donna and Lynn Rollmann. He is further survived by many more nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers: Gerald Rollmann and Robert Rollmann; his sisters: Janice Crowley and JoAnne Carew; his brother-in-law, Robert Wirth; and his beloved nephew and godson, John Carmack.
A Memorial Service will take place at 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 9, 2025 with visitation from 1:00 pm to the time of service at Valley Funeral Home, 2211 N Richmond St, Appleton, WI. There will be time to share memories, so please come prepared with your favorite stories of shenanigans with Dick. Feel free to dress casually and/or wear a baseball cap in honor of Dick's favorite attire.
Dick's family would like to express their sincere appreciation for the care provided by the HVI Cardiology team (especially Josh White and Drs. Mannebach, Roselaar, and Ciske) for providing Dick a better quality of life for the past few months. The family would also like to thank the ThedaCare Hospice team and Home Instead's caregivers especially Kathryn, Elyse, Pha and Bruce. We will be forever grateful for your support in making Dick's final wishes come true.
To send flowers
to the family, please visit our floral store.