Roger Dale Sommerfeld

Roger Sommerfeld, age 68 of Carmine, passed away Saturday, December 16, 2023.

Roger was born May 24, 1955 in Brenham, Texas to Emanuel and Mildred (Spiess) Sommerfeld. He was baptized July 7, 1955 at Salem Lutheran Church by Pastor Otto K. Oelke and later confirmed June 29, 1969 by Pastor F.T. Sager. He attended Wesley School before attending Brenham High School, from where he graduated. On June 4, 1977, Roger was married to Carol Ann Rosenbaum at Zion Lutheran Church of Zionsville by Pastor James Witschorke.

Roger loved working and took great pride in doing his best. From high school until the time of his illness, he worked with his friend and business partner Max Baranowski Jr. Over the years their services evolved from the early years of custom hay baling, to the small feed store at Max's house. Later they did application of fertilizer and then opened Round Top Farm & Ranch. In his final years of work, he ran dozers. He made house pads, driveways, tanks and any other dirt work a customer needed. He was quite the pro at looking at a piece of land and able to envision the final product that the customer was asking for.

He took great pride in teaching his grandchildren the tricks of the trade. He had the biggest smile while watching Jake help him move equipment, when the landowner told him, “That’s a big tractor for a little boy.” His love for all things tractor and equipment related was passed onto his son and two grandsons. Many hours were spent working on antique tractors on the weekends, which usually was a family affair. An annual trip to the Temple Tractor Show was always on his calendar. Just this past October, he took Jake to the tractor pull where he was awarded 1st place in his weight class, a great accomplishment for Roger.

When his beloved wife unexpectedly died in 2018, Roger took on the role of Grandpa and Granny. If grandkids needed anything, no matter how small, he would drop what he was doing and make it happen. Whether it was leaving at 5am to make a road trip to watch a full day of Makayla's club volleyball or an early morning trip to Corpus Christi to watch her run in the Regional Cross Country meet, he was there. He would also work all day and then leave to make a 2 hour road trip to watch Jake's basketball or baseball games or watch one of Austin's football games. He traveled to Edna to watch Olivia compete in her first Fair Queen Pageant. He rarely said no, and the grandkids loved to see him cheering them on. He enjoyed going to the Jackson County Fair, watching Olivia and Austin show their fair projects and enjoyed a fun evening with them during the auction.

One of his other pastimes was late evening rides through the backroads of Fayette County. Many Saturday evenings, you could find him riding the backroads with Makayla, as he was teaching her to drive while listen to all kinds of music. While Roger was not a hunter, he always helped the boys keep their feeders full. When it was time to make deer sausage, he was always ready for the full day of work. He often was a man of few words, but around good friends and family he was full of stories and great memories. He looked forward to his annual trip to lowa to the tractor shows with his good friend Norris. This was the only time he would take a full week off from work.

Roger is preceded in death by his wife Carol; parents; parents-in-law Irvin and Virgine Rosenbaum; brother Charles Otto Sommerfeld and niece Brittany Ridley.

Roger is survived by his loving family: son Justin and wife Elizabeth, daughter Melissa and husband Jason Smith; grandchildren Olivia and Austin Sommerfeld, Makayla and Jake Smith; sisters Carolyn and husband Gilbert Goeke, Kathy and husband Daryl Gummelt; brother-in-laws and wives Lary and Dixie Rosenbaum, Gary and Diana Rosenbaum; nieces and nephews Sean and fiancé Brittany Hohlt, Jill Rosenbaum, Jeffory and Rachael Goeke, Tracy and Ken Meier, Leigh Ann and Adam Seilheimer, along with numerous great nieces and nephews, friends and neighbors.

Visitation will be Thursday, December 21st from 8 am until 7 pm, with family present from 5 to 7 pm at Brenham Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be Friday, December 22nd at 10 am at Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine with Pastor David Tinker officiating. Burial will follow at Hill Cemetery in Round Top.

Pallbearers will be: Sean Rosenbaum, Jeffory Goeke, Kino Salinas, Raul Salinas, Bradley Raska and John Kruse. Honorary pallbearers will be: Norris Fuchs, Max Baranowski Jr, Eugene Hall, Rodney Read, Monty Mayer, Daryl Gummelt, Gilbert Goeke, Lary Rosenbaum, Gary Rosenbaum and Jerry Krebs.

Memorials may be made to Round Top-Carmine ISD Booster Club, Texas Early Day Tractor & Engine Association or Martin Luther Lutheran Church.

Services are in the care of Brenham Memorial Chapel, 2300 Stringer St., Brenham, TX 77833. 979.836.3611 Share condolences at www.brenhammemorialchapel.com.