Wolfgang Anthony Niehoff

Wolfgang Anthony Niehoff, 95, of Fresno, CA, passed away on November 12, 2025. Known to many as “Tony”, he was born Wolfgang Bernhard Anton Niehoff on June 6, 1930 to parents Anton and Angela in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany. After surviving the horrors of World War II, and after completing the equivalent of high school in Germany, he emigrated to the United States where he was sponsored by a local family, in Fresno, CA. Shortly after being in the United States, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he went through basic training in Fort Ord, California and ultimately served proudly and honorably during the Korean Conflict. After serving in Korea, he also returned to Germany as an American GI. While serving in the Army, he became a U.S. Citizen.

After his military service, he returned to Fresno where he used the G.I. Bill for his college studies at California State University, Fresno. While studying political economics at Fresno State, he met the love of his life Mary while they both participated in the Newman Catholic Club for students. In March of 1957, Tony and Mary married. After graduating, Tony began a career in banking at Guarantee Savings. He and Mary also started their family with Mark born in 1958, Michael born in 1963 and Stephanie born in 1965.

After several years in the banking industry, Tony returned to school where he obtained a teaching credential and started a new career as a high school educator. He taught for nearly 30 years at Clovis High School where he taught German, Latin, English and U.S. Government. He also taught for many years at Clovis Adult School. While at Clovis High School, he and a teaching colleague began taking high school students to Europe each summer on educational tours that they organized themselves. Over the years, and operating under the name London-Paris Connection, he took hundreds of high schoolers to places like England, France and Germany.

After retiring from full-time teaching over 30 years ago, Tony continued to substitute teach high school until he was 85 years old. He did this primarily at Clovis West High School where he became an institution known for being able to teach any class at any time and known to many of his students there as their favorite “grandpa” or “opa.” During his 30+ year retirement, he and Mary traveled extensively in Europe, Australia and the United States. He was known to colleagues, friends and family as an extremely learned individual who was the modern version of the renaissance man. He enjoyed sharing his readings of history, politics, government, languages and more with anyone who would listen. In addition to reading and traveling, Tony also enjoyed a great glass of red wine that he often shared with friends and family. He was a proud veteran who was often seen wearing his Korean War Veteran hat or even stopping by a local American Legion or VFW post on his many travels throughout the country.

Tony is survived by Mary, his wife of 68 years, as well as his three children, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

There will be a funeral mass at St. Paul’s Newman Center in Fresno at 10:00 am on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, followed by a reception.

On behalf of the family, any remembrances may be sent in the form of donations to any local veterans organization, the Central California Food Bank or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.