Roland “Sonny” W. Burmeister, Jr., 77, of Fremont, OH passed away on Monday, March 2, 2015 at Toledo Hospital. He was born on August 24, 1937, the son of Roland and Mary Jane (Ehlenbeck) Burmeister, Sr. He was a 1958 graduate of Fremont Ross High School.
Sonny married Sharon Claar on November 27, 1965 in Fremont and she survives. He worked in the Maintenance Department and as a Driver for Tony’s/Nickels Bakery for forty-three years. Sonny also owned and operated Burmeister Water Hauling and Burmeister Rentals. In his younger years he had the largest paper route for the Toledo Blade in Fremont.
Sonny owned Burmeister Racing #16 that raced at Fremont and Attica Speedways for sixty years and was inducted into the Fremont Speedway Racers Hall of Fame in 2010. He loved going to Niagara Falls in Canada, antiques and clocks. Sonny enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and working on his rental properties. He was a Dallas Cowboys, Ohio State and NASCAR fan, especially Greg Biffle.
Sonny is survived by his wife of forty-nine years, Sharon Burmeister; sons Roland (Christina) Burmeister III and Rodney (Amber) Burmeister, all of Fremont, OH; grandchildren, Alexis, Lily, Iris, Alison and Mary Jane Burmeister; friend and crew chief, Mike “Mikey” Sommers; crew, Tommy Thompson, Jay Kiser, L.J. Sommers and Spencer Wightman all of Fremont, OH
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Visitation: Friday from 2 – 4 pm and 6 – 8 pm at Wonderly Horvath Hanes Funeral Home and Crematory, 425 E. State St, Fremont, OH.
Service: Saturday, March 7, 2015, 10:30 am at the funeral home.
Burial: Fourmile House Cemetery, Fremont
Memorials: Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame
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Richard Riehl
Sorry for your lost . Met Sonny about 20 years ago as he was across the lot from Steinle’s . Then my dad Lamar introduced me to Sonny at the race track . Everytime i seen him he was smiling . Great man , father and husband . He will be missed .
Deb lewis
Im sorry for your loss. Sonny was a very nice man. We will keep your family in our prayers
Sherri Winter
Rodney & Amber,
I am so sorry for your loss. I loved seeing him come in the store and get his coffee, hearing all about the race cars and learning about them too. May God comfort you and your family during this time.
Sherri