Roger Redetzke

Roger Dean Redetzke of Waukesha, passed away on Sunday May 18, 2025 at the age of 90. He will be remembered as a fantastic son, brother, friend, educator, husband, dad, and grandpa.

He was born on March 5,1935 to Roy and Hilda (née: Peterson) Redetzke in Alexandria, Minnesota but grew up in Rio, Wisconsin. After graduation from Rio High School, Roger served in the United States Army (Military Police) in Germany and at White Sands Missile Range. Roger earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Luther College and a master’s degree from Colorado University - Boulder. He spent his career teaching language arts at Central Middle School and Butler Middle School. He was a devoted member of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church and passionate about classical music, the Packers, his Norwegian heritage, travel, strong coffee, and yard maintenance.

He will be sadly missed by his loving son Kirk Redetzke and his wife Casey Sterling, and his super-awesome grandchildren, Torsten, Ava and Kieran. He is also survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Roger was preceded in death by his devoted wife of 62 years, Catherine Redetzke and their beloved son, Erik Redetzke, as well as his brothers Merlin “Butch” Redetzke and Vinton Redetzke.

The family would like to wholeheartedly thank the exemplary staff at the Avalon Square memory care unit and the equally outstanding caregivers of Brighton Hospice – WI, who made his twilight days less annoying.

A visitation will be held on Friday, June 20, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. until the memorial service at 5:00 p.m. at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, located at 2016 Center Road, Waukesha, WI 53189. Burial for Roger and Catherine will take place at Prairie Home Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 10 a.m. In honor of Roger’s memory, memorial contributions can be made to Christ the Servant Lutheran Church (http://www.christtheservant.org/) or Wisconsin Public Radio (https://give.wpr.org/page/54094/donate/1).