Daniel J. Niehaus

Daniel James Niehaus, age 76, of Marshfield, WI, passed away at his home on March 25, 2026.

Dan was born on October 19, 1949, to Norbert and Mary Niehaus in Marshfield. As a child he worked on the family farm, shooting bow and arrow and playing basketball in his free time. He camped and fished with his parents and siblings, the catalyst to his lifelong passion for the outdoors.

Following his graduation from Columbus High School in 1967, Dan began his lifelong career as a truck driver. He interrupted his work to enlist in the United States Navy in August of 1969 serving until his honorable discharge in July of 1971. During his service he assisted beach landings that delivered equipment and supplies to missions in Vietnam.

Dan married Rebecca Conway in 1972, and they had two children, Benjamin and Valerie. Following their divorce in 1987, they coparented their children. Dan remarried Martha Jenneman in 2011. They divorced in 2024 but remained friends until the time of his passing.

Beyond his career as a truck driver, he was committed to an active lifestyle both in sports and the outdoors. He participated in men’s league basketball for several years before combining his competitive nature with the outdoors, freestyle skiing the American Birkebeiner for 20 years.

He was an avid motorcycle, muscle-car era and stockcar racing enthusiast. He owned numerous vintage motorcycles – never a Harley though, he was a Triumph man. He also had a few fun cars through the years. Dan frequented dozens of stock car tracks all throughout Wisconsin, and some on the NASCAR circuit. He was a lifelong Dick Trickle fan, having followed Trickle since his earliest races on Wisconsin’s dirt tracks.

Dan’s passion in recreation was the outdoors. He was a great fisherman, and an even keener, committed deer hunter. He harvested several Pope and Young Club deer, among many others, only hunting “the sign of the land” – he instilled this knowledge and skill in his son and grandson. All of his bow harvests were taken using an instinctive shooting style, many with his trusted recurve bow.

Dan loved the Lord; he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior nearly 40 years prior to the time of his passing. His personal Bible – taped together and ragged from many years of study and reading – stands as a testament to his faith and love of Jesus Christ.

His children and grandchildren remain grateful for the many experiences he opened to them. From their earliest years to the present, his devotion to Christ, his unwavering work ethic, and the hobbies and interests he lived out and instilled in them have left lasting impressions they will carry forward, reflecting on cherished memories and those still to come.

Dan is survived by his son, Ben (Melanie); and his daughter, Valerie; grandchildren, Tyler, Makayla, Makenzie, Jayden and Jaycee; his brothers, Ken, John and Ray; and his sister, Nancy. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Robert; and sisters, Alice and Jean.

Respecting Dan’s wishes, his visitation and graveside services will be private with his family on March 31, with interment in the Veterans Field of Honor at Hillside Cemetery in Marshfield. Graveside services will be officiated by Pastor Rich Perik, along with military honors.

In lieu of flowers, his children would ask for your consideration to donate to the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation (safeharborfoundation.org) which provides financial assistance and support to injured, wounded and seriously ill Navy and Coast Guard Sailors and their families.

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