Roger David Hilde, 81, of Cumberland, Wisconsin, passed away from heart failure on August 6, 2020 with his wife and son in attendance.

Roger married Susan Elgethun in 1958, she passed away in 1968. He married Dawn Olson in 1970 and would have celebrated their 50th anniversary together on December 21, 2020. He is also survived by Jason Hilde, his wife Alisha and three children, and Mark Hilde, his wife Lynsie and three children.

He was the middle of five children born to parents Ina and Selmer Hilde in Grafton, North Dakota on July 26, 1939. Roger attended high school in Michigan, North Dakota until his junior year when the family moved to Stillwater, Minnesota where he graduated high school and proceeded to live most of his adult life. He enjoyed playing basketball, baseball, and his trumpet (which earned him the nickname Hotlips). Roger was a big fan of professional sports which he instilled into his boys. He had a habit of turning off games that weren’t going well in the fourth quarter, and he rarely regretted it. He attended the University of Wisconsin in River Falls where he earned a double degree in mathematics and physics in four years while supporting him and his wife. Before Roger had finished his degrees he began working for 3M in research and development which contributed to the US war efforts in Viet Nam. He continued working at 3M for over 30 years. During this time he developed a passion for flying which later turned into a passion for owning and operating increasingly larger boats. His next career involved working for start-up companies which allowed him to fly his Mooney single-engine airplane around the United States to various conferences and meetings. After a few years of that he worked in a large used bookstore in Stillwater, Minnesota until 2001 when he and Dawn moved to Cumberland, Wisconsin. There he had a column in the Burnett County Sentinel called Roger the Codger. He also had a brief acting career in Cumberland performing in Fiddler on the Roof. In Cumberland, Roger lead the way to help his First Lutheran Church replace their windows with stained glass renderings of biblical scenes.

The memorial will take place at First Lutheran Church in Cumberland, Wisconsin on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at 1 PM.  The service will be outside as well as broadcast on an FM station should you wish to remain in your vehicle. Lawn chairs are welcome. The family requests memorials be made to First Lutheran Building Fund in lieu of flowers.

Last Update: Aug 09, 2020 10:39 pm CDT