Roy Kannenberg

Roy Herman Kannenberg, 78, of Hartford, passed away Sunday, May 22, 2022, peacefully at his home.

Roy was born in Port Washington, Wis., on Sept. 16, 1943, the son of the late Albert and Eleanora (Heilgendorf) Kannenberg.

On Oct. 3, 1964, Roy married Arlene Behm of Cedarburg, Wis., the daughter of the late Walter and Ilma (Wolfgram) Behm, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Jackson.

Roy served in the National Guard.

He worked for Tecumseh Power Products in Grafton and Mercury Marine in Cedarburg and numerous part-time jobs until 1979, when he started his own business, RAM Tool Inc.

Roy will be deeply missed by his wife Arlene; his children Michelle (Dennis) Polum of Slinger and Michael (Stacey) Kannenberg of Fredonia; four grandchildren, Trevor (fiancee Amanda Ross) Polum of Slinger, Chelsea (Tyler) Bares of West Bend, Heidi (boyfriend Adam Bolton) Kannenberg of Cedarburg and Megan Kannenberg of Madison; three sisters, Delores Lueders, Marilyn (Hugo) Gonzalez and Jane Boesch; sisters-in-law Audrey Deming and Alice (Robert) Boeker; brothers-in-law Donald (Christine) Behm, Darold (Julie) Behm, David (Diane) Behm and Dale (Cari) Behm); many nieces; nephews; other relatives; friends and RAM family members.

The family would like to extend a sincere appreciation to Maggy Waranka for the many years of friendship and care she provided.

Roy was proceeded in death by his infant sister Elaine and brothers-in-law Edward Lueders Jr. and Michael Boesch.

Roy was a member of the manufacturing organizations AMBA, NTMA and TDMAW and was a charter HOG Member.

Roy lived life to the fullest! He had a passion for speed and horsepower! That passion led him to meet many people and create lifetime friendships.

He was a Harley enthusiast to say the least. He traveled on his Harley through most of the United States and had the opportunity to ride in numerous other countries as well.

He was on the design team for Harley-Davidson for the V-Rod motorcycle, which was released in 2001. He was so proud of that moment, he drove out to York, Pa., to take delivery of the third bike off the Harley-Davidson line.

Roy had a sport for every season. Winter took him to the Northwoods and out West on his snowmobile.

In summer, you could find him behind the wheel of his Super Stock “Midnight Cheater” pulling truck. He belonged to PI Motorsports, Badger State Pullers and N.E.W. pulling organizations. He helped organize and was a member of 4 Pullers LLC, which sponsored and hosted truck pulling events at both the Ozaukee and Washington county fairgrounds.

He was an avid hunter and longtime Packers fan.

But Roy’s real passion was for his company, RAM Tool Inc., which he and his wife Arlene started out of their garage in Cedarburg in 1976 when Roy bought a single lathe. Before the machine was delivered, he had an order placed with a local company for core pins.

In 1979, RAM Tool was incorporated and it moved from the garage to an industrial building in the City of Cedarburg.  Roy was never one to sit idle and continued to grow and expand his business, eventually outgrowing the facility in Cedarburg and building a state-of-the-art facility in the Grafton Corporate Park in 1995.

When the move was made, he tripled his space and doubled his workforce within the first year. He went on to add three additions to the original building, providing a 80,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, and purchased an adjacent building for warehouse space. At the peak of his career, he employed nearly 100 people who he treated like family.

He made his mark on the industry! Although he often said, “Not too bad for someone who never finished high school,” he supported education in local high schools and tech schools as well as state indentured apprenticeships.

Roy was always one to help you any way he could, hence “When you’re in a jam … see RAM” was the company slogan.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at 6 p.m. at First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cedarburg.  The Rev. Randolph Raasch will officiate.  Visitation will be at the church from 3 to 5:45 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to First Immanuel Lutheran Church are appreciated.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.muellerfuneralhome.com.

After the service, there will be a “HD Rumble for Roy.”  If you ride, bring your bike.