Robert J. Rader

Robert J. (Bob) Rader, 78, of De Pere, passed away on February 17, 2022. He was born on September 29, 1943, in Wausau, WI to William and Ernestine (Vetter) Rader. Bob was a graduate of Newman High School, Wausau, WI and St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI. Upon graduation in 1965, he enrolled in Naval Officer Candidate School and served as damage control officer aboard the USS Denebola (AF-56) from 1966-69. He married the love of his life, Mary Victoria (Tori) Evans, on August 12, 1967 in Green Bay. After completing active duty, he earned a MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bob worked in transportation throughout his career, first as a market analyst for Ford Motor Company and later in sales and marketing capacities at Schneider National and the Fox River Valley Railroad. For the last thirteen years of his career, Bob served as Executive Vice President of Roehl Transport in Marshfield, WI, and he provided consulting services to the company following his retirement in 2007. He was very proud of his work at Roehl. He was active in various trade associations in the transportation industry, with a particular focus on safety. He was very active in school and sports activities of his children and grandchildren. His interests included genealogy, history, gardening and investments. He loved pigs. Bob volunteered at a number of local non-profit groups, including Literacy Green Bay and the Brown County Historical Society, and was a member of the Lifelong Learning Institute at UWGB. He loved to travel and visited many interesting places in the world, including Jerusalem, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Egypt, Petra, the Vatican, St. Petersburg, the Greek Isles, Ephesus and Pompeii.

Survivors include his wife, Tori; one daughter, Kristin (Patrick) Cafferty and their children: Jack, Quinn, Kathryn and Bridget, Racine; and three sons: John (Jennifer Wiman) Rader, Denver, CO; Michael (Amy) Rader and their children: Michael, Jr., Matthew, Molly, Maxwell and Andrew, De Pere and Mark (Katherine) Rader and their son, Charlie, Bloomington, MN; two brothers, Dennis (LaVon), Green Bay and Donald (Judy), Brea, CA. He is further survived by Tori's sister, brothers and sister-in-law: Nancy Keappock, Arlington, TX, Robert (Kristin) Evans, Green Bay, John (Bonnie) Evans, Green Bay, Mark (Fran) Evans, San Diego, CA, Mari Martin, Green Bay and his beloved nieces and nephews, their children, and many cherished friends.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers-in-law, Rick Evans and George Keappock.

Visitation will be from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at Old St. Joe's Church, 123 Grant Street, De Pere, on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. A Mass of Christian Burial with military honors will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., with Fr. Mike Brennan officiating. Please allow additional time for parking, as parking is limited. For a livestream of the funeral Mass, please visit the St. Norbert College Parish Facebook page or Youtube @SNC Parish.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed in Bob's memory to Literacy Green Bay, Inc., 424 South Monroe Avenue, Green Bay, WI 54301 where Bob was a volunteer with the citizenship program. Bob's brain has been donated for medical research of neurodegenerative brain disorders, including frontotemporal lobe dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The memory of a good person is a blessing. Proverbs 10:7