Kenneth John Roeh

MADISON – Kenneth J. Roeh, age 90, entered eternal life to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, at Sebring Assisted Living Facility. Ken was born on May 11, 1929, in Sioux City, Iowa, as the first child to Leonard and Lydia (Klingebiel) Roeh. Ken was baptized and confirmed at St Paul's Lutheran Church in Sioux City. Ken attended public schools in Sioux City and graduated from Central High School in 1947. He attended Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., and graduated from the law school in 1952. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict and served with the Army's Criminal Investigation Division from 1952-1954 in the St. Louis area. Upon returning from service, Ken worked as a claim adjuster for State Farm for six years and then practiced law for five years in Clayton, Mo. Ken married Dorothea Waser in November 1955. They were blessed with three daughters: Kathryn Ann Enge, Karen Blomgren, and Kristen Robertson, who was killed in an auto accident on Thanksgiving Day 2006. Ken joined Mercantile Trust in St. Louis, Mo., in 1963. In 1969, he was recruited by a group of community banks in and around Belleville, Ill. to create a trust company for them. In 1979, Ken met his best friend and the love of his life, Suzanne, while they were both singing in The Messiah in Rockford, Ill., and they were married on June 7, 1980, in Rockford, Ill., where Ken was heading the Trust Department for First National Bank & Trust Company. While in Rockford, Ken served as a member of the board of the Chamber of Commerce and on the Advisory Boards of Rockford College and Rockford Hospital. Ken then headed the Trust Department of Mercantile National Bank in Hammond, Ind. His final career move was to help create a Trust Company for Firstar Trust Company of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn. This company was later acquired by what is now Securian Trust Company in St. Paul. He retired from Securian in 2006 at the age of 77 as VP and Trust Council. Meanwhile, Suzanne was employed as a Senior Administrative Assistant for KPMG in Minneapolis. She also retired in 2006 and they moved to Madison, Wis., that same year. Ken had season tickets for Badgers Football since 1974, and now, after being hours away from a game, they were only minutes away! During his life, Ken loved sports and played football, basketball and slow and fast pitch softball. He also enjoyed playing bad golf. He was a retired member of the Missouri, Illinois and Indiana Bar Associations. He was a lifelong Lutheran and was devoted to his faith. Ken and Suzanne were members of Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison. Ken and Suzanne were philanthropists within their means, supporting their church, their universities, and various charities. At age 80, Ken successfully completed a parachute jump! "If President Bush could do it at 80, so can I!" Ken is survived by the love of his life, Suzanne; children, Kathryn Ann Enge and Karen Blomgren; stepson, Jason Ostic; and his beloved rescue dog, Bucky. Additional survivors include his brother, Art; grandchildren, Jeffrey, Jill and Daniel Enge and Michelle and Lizzy Blomgren; and step-grandchildren, Aaron and Korissa Ostic. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Marilyn Dietz; and daughter, Kristen Robertson. A funeral service will be held at BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 312 Wisconsin Ave., Madison, at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, with Pastors Mike Brown and Bill White presiding. Memorials may be made in Ken’s name to Bethel Lutheran Church at https://onrealm.org/bethelmadison/-/give/now or Agrace HospiceCare. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson West Funeral & Cremation Care 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761