Kenneth Albert Niemeier

Kenneth Niemeier (87) of La Mesa, California passed away on December 25, 2023, at the UCSD Tramua Center. He was taken to UCSD after a serious accidental fall at the memory care facility where he was living.

Ken was born to Henry (Hank) and Oarlie (Kramer) Niemeier on January 14, 1936 in Page, North Dakota. He was the oldest of four boys. Ken's youth was spent in Mayville, North Dakota and Stanwood, Washington. Hank and Oarlie worked as educators and owned farmland in North Dakota. During WWII they moved to Washington to work for Boeing Aircraft.

While living in Stanwood Ken spent many hours fishing in the creeks and rivers. He thus became an excellent fly fisherman. During high school years he participated in football, basketball and tennis. He excelled in basketball with his father as his coach and continued playing tennis his entire adult life.

His passion for fishing increased the pleasure he got during his many travels. He always had just the right poles, just the right fly or bait and just the right waders, vest, and hat while fishing the Lake of the Woods and many other places in Canada, while sailing the Straits of Georgia off the coast of Vancouver Isand and in Desolation Bay. He also fished in Mexico, New Zeland, the Yucatan Peninsula and Patagonia.

The Niemeier family moved back to North Dakota Ken's senior year of high school. He attended Mayville State College and after graduating with a BS degree in Mathmatics and Physical Sciences Ken joined the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant.

During his 20 year military career he was stationed in Japan and did two tours in Vietnam, where his primary responsibility was radar installations. He was an Atlas F Launch Officer in Montana and worked as a Refrigeration Air Conditioning Technician in Austin Texas. He ritired in January 1979 as a Captain.

Ken's life long love for fishing gave him many hours of enjoyment walking streams waiting for that trout to bite or using his sailboat to ocean fish. Also, during his retirement he played tennis and golf and did lots of gardening which included landscaping the yard in his La Mesa home and the property he owned in Todo Santos, Baja, Mexico.

Ken was preceded in death by his oldest son Eric, his brother Donald, and his parents Hank and Oarlie. His is surived by his wife Donna, son Kurtis, granddaughter Danielle (Angel) and two brothers Allan and Bruce.

No services are planned. His burial will be on January 10, 2024 at the Riverside National Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to: Ocean Conservancy, 1300 19th Street NW 8th floor, Washington D.C. 20036 or Alzheimer's San Diego, 3635 Ruffin Road Suite 300, San Diego, California 92123.