Michael "Mike" Charles Rothmeyer

Michael Rothmeyer, of Prior Lake, passed away August 21, 2024 at the age of 71. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandpa, business owner, employer, boss, manager, and great friend. He will be missed by all who knew him.

A visitation will be held at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (4565 Pleasant Street SE) in Prior Lake on Monday, September 2, 2024 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM with a Memory Sharing Service at 6:30 PM. Mass of Christian Burial is Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 11:00 AM with a visitation one-hour prior at St. Michael Catholic Church (16400 Duluth Ave SE) in Prior Lake. Father Tom Walker will preside. Mike’s children and their spouses will act as pallbearers. His 8 grandchildren are honorary pallbearers. Lunch will be provided after the service in lower level of church. Mike will be laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.

Guests may join the Mass via live streaming at Stmichael-pl.org and clicking on the live stream tabs and then to Michael's mass icon. 

On May 19, 1953, Michael Charles Rothmeyer was born to parents Gergory “Bud” Rothmeyer and Marilyn Bushman in Festina, Iowa. He was the fourth of ten children. Mike grew up on the family farm where he learned the importance of hard work and a strong love of family.

Mike attended Catholic School through 12th grade where he was a straight A student. Following his graduation, Mike ventured up to the Twin Cities to start his job as a baggage handler. It was always a dream of his to work for the airlines. Mike began his remarkable career as a baggage handler at Viking International Airlines. At the company he oversaw the pilots, operations and the unions. With his strong work ethic and natural business smarts, Mike quickly worked his way up through the ranks of the company to become Vice President of Viking Airlines by the time he was 29 years old. 

The next company he bought was responsible for offloading all the planes at MSP International Airport. This ground handling business was instrumental in bringing in the first horses into Minnesota for Canterbury Downs. After he sold this business, Mike started a printing company. He bought presses, learned the industry and grew the business quickly before selling it. 

Then Mike and Lyn started Viking World Wide, Tiger Logistics, Multi-Freight Logistics and SBA Global Logistics aka Radiant World Wide which was responsible for international and domestic freight management and logistics. They opened offices in Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Houston. Mike loved working – some would even say he was a workaholic – and worked 7 days a week. Mike was the smartest, strongest and kindest man. He was generous with his time, talents and financial support when anyone needed him. Mike was also a business mentor to so many of his employees and some even went on to start their own businesses. Mike loved his work and the people he worked with. He had great teams in Minnesota and Arizona. He and Lyn enjoyed splitting their time between their homes so they could work out of both offices and stay involved with the business and their children & grandkids in each state.

Mike was a wonderful manager who treated everyone fairly and with respect. Through his work, Mike met the love of his life, Lyn Feldman. Lyn and Mike hit it off immediately. They quickly realized that they were soulmates and complimented each other in every way. Mike and Lyn were married for 40 years and had great careers in the business. Their love grew as they blended their families. Mike was now a dad to Amy, Mandy and Brandon. Mike treasured every moment with them. Mike had his two girls from his first marriage and a step-son from his current marriage, whom he raised as his own for the past 40 years.

As a family they enjoyed family vacations, trips to the local arcade “Beanie’s”, holiday celebrations and weekends together. Mike was known for making eggs, little smokies and toast every Sunday morning for the girls and Brandon – a tradition that the entire family loved! He coached Brandon’s sports teams and was always the fun coach who would treat the team to pizza anytime they won the game. Mike was very competitive and always wanted to win. He taught his kids, grandkids and employees the importance of winning in an honest way. It was his competitive nature and determination that helped Mike to be so successful in his life. As the kids grew, Mike knew it was his job to instill strong values in them. He passed on his love of family, animals and strong work ethic. He frequently taught them these values in the form of sermons… little lessons he’d pass on.

In his free time, Mike loved spending time on the lake and boating. Mike also enjoyed taking care of his yard – cutting the grass, gardening and riding around on his 4-wheeler. Mike & Lyn were known for their elaborate Christmas light display every year. They also had a huge celebration for the Fourth of July. Mike had a great car collection. He loved to customize his corvettes and shared a love of cars with Mandy and Brandon who was also a mechanic. Every car he owned was in Mike’s signature color – black. Mike enjoyed Star Trek, rock music and animals. He absolutely loved his cat, Blacky and all the local birds who lived at his home. He made sure to feed them every day. 

Mike had many hobbies and interests, but the most important thing in his life was his family. Mike loved spending time with Lyn. They rarely spent a day apart. Lyn and Mike complimented each other perfectly in life and at work. They were so perfect for each other and lived a very happy life together. Mike was so proud to be a dad to Amy, Mandy and Brandon. And as the kids grew and started their own families, Mike’s heart grew as he became a grandpa. He went to all the grandkids’ sporting events and activities and spent as much time with them as he could. He truly left a wonderful legacy. 

On August 21, 2024, Mike passed away peacefully at Abbott NW Hospital. He had spent his last days surrounded by his family that he loved so much. He received wonderful care from the dedicated staff, and his family is forever grateful for the kindness they were shown.

He now lives on in the hearts of his family. Mike is survived by his wife and soulmate, Lyn Rothmeyer; daughters, Amy (Dan) Dykstra and Mandy (Tom) Benedict; son, Brandon (Yvette) Dvorak; grandchildren, Vinny, Makayla, Xavier, Ethan (ET), Ethan, Violet, Autto and Ace; brother, Gary (Connie) Rothmeyer; sisters, Janice (Larry) Lensch, Bonnie Wenthold, Pat (Rich) Phillips, Eleane Hageman, Eileen (Jim “JB”) Blong, Marcia (Kenny) Lembke, Dawn Severson and Paula Strand; many nieces and nephews; other loving relatives and friends.

Mike was greeted in Heaven by his parents, Gregory “Bud” Rothmeyer and Marilyn Rima.