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As received from the O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home:
Roger Mark Kieckhafer, 69, of Houghton, passed away on July 17, 2020.
Roger was born on December 17, 1950, in OshKosh, Wisconsin to Raymond and Ann Kieckhafer. He received a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin (1974) in Madison, Wisconsin.
After a five-year tour with the United States Navy’s submarine force, he returned to school and earned his master’s (1982) and Ph.D. (1983) in electrical engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Shortly after graduation, he worked at Bendix Aerospace in Maryland before pursuing his true passion: teaching in academia.
Roger spent 13 years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant then associate professor of computer and electrical engineering.
He then spent 20 years at Michigan Technological University as an associate professor of computer and electrical Engineering. Roger loved teaching and his students. Two of his favorite parts of the job included the time spent with his senior design students and the “Aha!” moments when his students finally understood a complex concept. Faculty meetings did not rank as highly (though he was fond of his colleagues).
Roger was passionate about music and active in the local musical community. He participated in the Copper Country Chorale and Pine Mountain Music Festival opera choruses as well as performing as a soloist for The Omega House fundraisers.
Roger is survived by his wife, Patricia Kieckhafer; son, Alexander Kieckhafer (Mallika Lavakumar) and thoroughly adored granddaughters, Ananya Kieckhafer and Ishani Kieckhafer of Cleveland, Ohio; daughter, Katherine Kieckhafer of Boston, Massachusetts; and Maggie Kieckhafer (Tahmoures Tabatabaei) of Greensboro, North Carolina. He is also survived by his brother, Russell (Deborah) Kieckhafer; nephew, Joey Kieckhafer; and niece, Sarah Kieckhafer of Chicago, Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the any of his favorite organizations:
Guardian Angels – Medical Service Dogs: http://medicalservicedogs.org
Planned Parenthood: http://plannedparenthood.org
American Civil Liberties Union: http://www.aclu.org.
