Alan "Al" Robert Rademacher

Long time resident and business owner Al (Alan) Rademacher passed away on February 18, 2025, due to complications following a recent surgery.

Alan was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin to parents Robert and June Rademacher. The family moved to Oregon in the early 1950’s, and Alan grew up in Gresham, attending the local schools and graduating from Gresham High school in 1966. He attended the University of Oregon in Eugene and on a student exchange program was able to travel to London, England, where he met his future wife, Henny Pedersen.

They moved to Estacada in 1980, buying property and building a house and a landscape and nursery business, Estacada Bark and Nursery. They raised their family of three children, Carl, Willy and Sara, all of whom attended the local Estacada schools and graduated from the Estacada High school.

Alan valued his community and his community relationships. Through his diplomatic personality, he made business connections with the local RSG mill in Estacada and was able to serve his community by providing a local outlet for mill products. He maintained those connections through economic downturns and mill closures by always finding a way, and by being an eternal optimist. As a businessman, if approached with a good cause, he would often contribute to the community, such as donating labor and products to the local schools, the Timber Festival, the downtown Christmas celebration, and the 4th of July celebration, among others.

He was passionate about history and the history of Estacada, and on the nursery property, he had a local artist, Dennis Durkoop, construct an authentic replica of the #1067 electric rail passenger trolley car, the last interurban trolley to run between Portland and Estacada. Alan’s hope for the future was that the trolley car one day would find a prominent and permanent location and would become a permanent display as part of Estacada's history.

Alan loved Oregon! Exploring back roads, camping and fishing with his many dogs who accompanied him over the years. He enjoyed playing his guitar and writing songs in a folklore manner.

He leaves behind a legacy of years of dedicated work, future planning and success. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and June Rademacher and his sister, Gail Landreth. He is survived by his two sons, Carl and Willy Rademacher; his daughter, Sara Copher (Jeff); his grandson, Charlie Copher; his sisters, Mary Baltierra, of Portland, OR and Annie Brown, of Phoenix, AZ; his brother, Gary Rademacher (Diane), of Vancouver, WA, and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.

The family has advised that there will be a forthcoming announcement regarding a Celebration of Life. And on that day, if we listen carefully, we may hear a guitar playing in the distance.