January 13, 1956 – October 8, 2024

Herr Ludwig Karl Niederhammer passed away peacefully at his residence in the early morning of Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 following a ten-year battle with brain cancer. Herr Niederhammer lived with his wife, Teresa (Terri) Stuart Niederhammer in Columbus, Georgia, after moving from Lenoir, North Carolina, as his illness progressed and he became less independent.

Herr Niederhammer (“Louie”) was born On January 13, 1956, and lived in Munich, Germany until moving to Florida in the mid 1980’s to live with his aunt. He later moved to Lenoir where he fell in love with the mountain area; however, he never gave up his German citizenship, always laughing that he was a southerner, but a German southerner. Before leaving his beloved Munich, he worked for the municipal railroad as a signal engineer. Louie was a gifted and talented fellow who loved creating, building, and painting various projects. He was the former owner of Niederhammer’s Decorating Center in Lenoir where his customers knew they could trust the good taste and knowledge of “the German guy”. He later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he worked for A & M Supply as a tint specialist.

Louie was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Hudson, North Carolina, and was a member of the Exchange Club in Caldwell County. He was also a member of several area German clubs, where he enjoyed socializing and speaking his native German with other ex-patriates. Louie read the German newspaper on-line daily, and watched the news and other programs on his tiny cell phone. He continued to speak with a heavy German accent, and often remarked that his accent made “Arnold sound like someone from Alabama”! Louie’s favorite activity was sitting around his firepit, listening to classic rock and roll, and enjoying a German beer. He was an avid Bayern Munchen Foosball club fan, and would watch at all hours of the day.

His sense of humor, grace and kindness made Louie extra special to his family and friends. Louie is the founder of the Edelweiss Fund at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina  which provides support to patients in northwest North Carolina with daily needs such as gas, food, and utilities. He commented to his oncologist, Dr. Glenn Lesser, that it’s hard to focus on fighting for your life when you worry about feeding your children. His generosity also included frequent donations of hair to Locks of Love, a program sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Louie is preceded in death by his mother, Karolina Jungbauer Niederhammer, and his father, Karl Ludwig Niederhammer. He is survived by his loving wife, Terri, his daughter, Caroline Niederhammer Smith and husband Thomas, of Hudson; and granddaughter, Quinn. He is also survived by step-son, Bryan, and his wife, Nicole, and their daughters, Shelby and Dylan.

On November the 2nd, 2024 the family will receive friends at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Hudson, North Carolina at 1 p.m., followed by a memorial service conducted by the Reverend Dan Duke  at 2. Because Louie loved bright colors, the family asks that guests not wear black to the services. His ashes will be returned to Munich to be with his mother and father. Memorials may be made to the Edelweiss Fund at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist to the attention of the Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Relations, PO Box 571021, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1021 or on-line at https://giving.wakehealth.edu or https://giving.wakehealth.edu/ then select Edelweiss Fund under Cancer. The family very much appreciates your support of this important fund.

Services were provided by Georgia Cremation of Columbus, Georgia.