Roger Warehime
Roger Edward Warehime, age 61, passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on April 10, 2026.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Owatonna. Friends may greet the family two hours prior, starting at 9 a.m.
Roger was born to parents Edwin and Martha (Larson) Warehime in Bird Island, Minn., and grew up in Mitchell, S.D., where he wrestled for the Kernels and graduated high school in 1983. At the University of Minnesota, he studied mechanical engineering and spent his summers working in the Black Hills and Glacier National Park — experiences that sparked a lifelong love of the outdoors.
After graduating college in 1989, Roger worked for Merry Mechanization, which took him around the world, including to Spain, Switzerland, and most memorably, Japan. He later spent 11 years at Despatch Industries, where he moved into project management and developed a passion for leadership.
In 2004, Roger and his family moved to Owatonna after he took a job managing energy conservation projects for Owatonna Public Utilities. In 2018, he became general manager. He took deep pride in serving an organization rooted in the local community.
On Aug. 4, 1992, Roger met his soulmate Kristin Wolke on a blind date. One year and three days later, they were married. Together, they raised two children, Jacob and Jacqueline. He loved being a dad and was actively committed to his family: camping with his children, coaching their soccer team, cheering them at cross country meets, and helping them navigate the ups and downs of early adulthood.
Roger lived actively and fully. He biked, snowboarded, backpacked, and hiked — and made a point of sharing it all with those he loved. Though his career moved beyond engineering, he never stopped designing and building. He solved problems with his hands as readily as his mind. The Little Theater of Owatonna and the Merlin Players frequently called on him when they needed some “theater magic.” He loved the challenge of bringing seemingly impossible requests to life on stage, discovering along the way that he also enjoyed acting in plays as much as building sets.
Roger loved his Owatonna community and was deeply committed to being an active member of it. He rode with the local bike group, served in Rotary, volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and co-founded the Foremost Brewing Cooperative.
Those who knew Roger will remember his steadiness, his clear-eyed perspective, his gift for solving problems, his generosity as a mentor, and his genuine curiosity about the world around him.
Roger is survived by wife, Kristin, of 33 years; children, Jacob (Anna) and Jackie; sister, Fern (Terry) Nesvig and a large extended family of Wolkes.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Owatonna Foundation.
For more information or to leave an online message of condolence, go to www.megercares.com.