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Llewellyn “Roger” Hiltunen, age 78 passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 8, 2026 at the Northern Lights Nursing Home in Washburn, WI. Roger was born on November 26, 1947 in Racine, WI the son of William and Lucille (Salbashian) Hiltunen. Roger worked as a professional motorcycle mechanic for many years. He loved nature and being in the outdoors. Roger, being a small business owner, supported small businesses and was proud to say he never stepped foot in a Walmart. He is survived by family and friends. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Mountain Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Ashland and Mellen, WI.
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Pat Nickelsen (Fitzgerald)
I did not know Roger in high school and actually had no idea that we were classmates until a few years ago, when I noticed his name in the Classmate Profiles section of this website. We met decades back, when "Little Roger," as we called him then, was a good friend of the man I eventually married, also a Roger. Little Roger was a hoot, so much fun, so sweet, and always up for a good time. He loved my Bob Dylan albums and could quote Dylan lyrics with the best of us. He was a dedicated biker, tooling around town on his Triumph. And if he'd tire out in the early morning hours, we would sometimes find him sound asleep on the porch of our lower flat on Washington Avenue. Tiring of city life around 1970, Roger moved to Mellon, WI, eventually buying a house outside of Marengo, where he lived for over 50 years. We often spent vacations at his place, with its wood burning stove for heat and old-fashioned wood-heated sauna in the yard. Roger suffered a stroke about 10 years ago and became homebound, cared for by his long-time partner, Sherry, until she passed away. At that time, with the help of his sisters, he moved into a nursing home in Ashland, WI. We remained in steady contact, and when my Roger's time on earth ended, Hiltunen would call me on a regular basis, just to make sure I was doing okay. I started writing him good old snail mail letters, a habit that I kept up until a few days before he passed on. We were fond of saying to one another, you can be in my dreams if I can be in yours. I will continue to dream of LIttle Roger and all the great times we had. Ride on, Rog. There just has to be a Triumph in the great beyond, waiting for you to jump on board.