John Edwin Niederhofer

John Edwin Niederhofer, 78, of Huntsville, Texas passed away on February 16, 2015. He was born on December 12, 1936 in Houston, Texas to John Henry Niederhofer and Ruth Little Niederhofer. Edwin’s love of art was instilled in him early in life by his mother Ruth. He became an accomplished painter in oils and pastels; his favorite subjects to paint were flowers and scenes of Christ in prayer. He attended Huntsville High School where he was Class President. His best friend in High School was John Stanley. Other close friends were Peter Kay, James Kelly and Jimmie Mabry to name a few. He played trombone in the band, as well as ukulele and sang specials for his High School gatherings. The favorite hangout in school was the Tasty Freeze in Huntsville and his favorite drink was Big Red. While growing up in Huntsville, he met Janet Rogers, the love of his life. They grew up together in the small town of Huntsville. Edwin joined the Army National Guard and was a member of the 49th Armored Division at Fort Polk where he served with cousin Ronald Niederhofer and friend Sam Hayes. He told us he painted the artwork on the tanks. Ed grew up working for his father John Henry Niederhofer in the roofing business. He was later a city bus driver in Houston. He also worked for Althen Niederhofer at Niederhofer Chemical. Edwin married Janet Rogers on May 27th 1978 at Black Jack Methodist Church. He coached YMCA football, loved to go on family trips to Galveston, Garner State Park, and New Braunfels and floating down the Guadalupe River. He loved to tell us ghost stories as kids. He loved to laugh and treated everyone he met like family. He loved gardening, especially tulips. He owned and operated various sailboats as one of his favorite passions and called a 43ft sailboat home in Clear Lake Shores for 10 years. He loved that lifestyle. He was highly philosophical and would have conversations about anything anyone wanted to talk about. He was a huge history buff and was passionate about the Bible. He also loved to voice his opinions like most Niederhofers. His best friend towards the end of his life was Bart Milstead; they would eat every Thursday at Kelley’s Country Cookin' in Houston. Also, towards the end of his passion was playing Santa for 1000's of kids year after year. Many of them loved him as much as we did growing up. Edwin is survived by his beloved wife Janet Rogers Niederhofer; children, Desiree Edwards, Tiffiny Vaughn, John Robert Niederhofer, Tamara Tidwell, Kelli Ogden; grandchildren Laura Rosner, Kristen Parker, Christopher Edwards, Virginia Slattery, Luke Niederhofer, Carys Niederhofer, Rochelle Tidwell, Brandon Tidwell, Esther Tidwell, Jewel Tidwell, Riley Ogden, Fisher Ogden, Alex Ogden; great-grandchildren Nora Parker and Preston Franks. A graveside service will be at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at Black Jack Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas. Memorial condolences may be made to the family at www.shmfh.com.

John Edwin Niederhofer

December 12, 1936 - February 16, 2015