Robert W. Ninneman MD

Robert W. Ninneman, MD
Robert Ninneman, MD, 75, of Brookfield died December 27, 2025, following a fall and traumatic brain injury in July. Adored husband of Lisa Baratta, MD. Beloved father of Paul (Clare), Matthew (Cindy), Luke (Abby), and Anne Ninneman. Proud grandfather of Genevra, Adeline, and Grace Ninneman; Stephen Ninneman; Heidi Anderson; and Abigail, William, and Charlotte Ninneman. Cherished brother of Mark Ninneman, Mary Harrell, and Kate Ninneman. He will be missed by his large extended family and countless friends.
The oldest child of four born to Bob & Therese (nee Dwyer) Ninneman, Bob spent his earliest years in Tomah & Oshkosh before his family settled down in Shorewood & Whitefish Bay. He was all-around big brother to Mark and sisters Mary & Kate. He and Mark shared duties as alter boys and paper boys. He was a good Catholic boy going to good catholic schools all the way through The University of Notre Dame, proudly following a family tradition. His mother raised a real gentleman. His kids and at least one of his grandchildren have carried on his traditions of exclaiming "fruits & berries" when vexed, or referring to someone as a "codfish."
He and Gail Docken (nee Reich) raised four great kids, three sons and a daughter (who Bob said gave him more gray hairs than the three boys put together), all of whom he was very proud. Following graduation from medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, he & his family spent a few years in Dearborn, Michigan for his Internal Medicine residency before settling in West Bend, Wisconsin. He practiced Internal Medicine in West Bend back in the old days, when internists saw their own patients in the emergency room and would occasionally assist in the OR. Bob & best buds Stevie, Artie, and Billy regularly stumbled home on Thursdays after golfing and carrying on at the West Bend CC.
After Bob & Gail parted ways, he decided to pursue an interest in cardiology in the early days of angioplasty. He moved to Madison at 37 and completed a three-year cardiology fellowship. Few people would have the temperament to be a "trainee" after years of being a practicing physician; Bob did. There he met Lisa who was doing her Internal medicine residency. After a long-distance relationship during Lisa's cardiology fellowship, he had the poor judgement to marry into her loud Italian-American family and converted her father into a Notre Dame fan.
Bob practiced interventional cardiology at St. Luke's for more than twenty years (introducing himself to patients as "'Ninneman,' rhymes with cinnamon"). He loved practicing cardiology and was one of the good guys. He was a wordsmith, painting descriptive word pictures in his hospital chart notes with few brushstrokes. Known for a wickedly dry sense of humor and a biting sarcasm, Bob delivered zingers with a twinkle in his beautiful gray eyes. His cath lab staff loved recounting "Bob Ninnemanisms."
Bob was fun to be around and had many friends. He knew jokes and songs and poetry and was a consummate storyteller back in the day. He was quick with an Irish joke and delivered them complete with accents and voices. He also had numerous Irish folk songs in his repertoire and would sing on request. Bob once recited the very long poem "Gunga Din" for the entertainment of people in line waiting to have a book signed by Garrison Keillor (for that Bob got to go up the front of the line.)
Bob retired in 2014, perhaps a few years early, given the changing nature of medicine. He made the most out of retirement, traveling and enjoying life with his best friend Lisa and a goofy chocolate lab at his side. A stroke in 2021 softened some of his sharper edges, making more obvious the genuinely nice man that he was. But it didn't prevent him from ruining many a weekend with a round of bad golf (his words), followed by cheering on his beloved Irish on Saturdays and his Packers on Sundays. Each dog learned quickly to ignore the yelling and table-slapping coming from the couch. Bob was happy; his frequent response to "How are you?" was "I have my health and my dog loves me." Bob & Lisa celebrated their 30th anniversary in June with a memorable and well-timed trip to France. His was a life well-lived, just too short.
Our heartfelt thanks to the staff at Froedtert and Shirley Ryan rehab, and above all the many friends and family who supported us in countless ways throughout this ordeal. Services will be held on Friday Jan 2 at Harder Funeral Home in Brookfield, with visitation 9-12:00, service 12:00. Burial for family will follow at a later date in Tomah, Wisconsin.