Michael “Choo Choo” Jacob Niewahner was born May 1, 1947 to Edward and Mildred (Hanneken) Niewahner in Crescent Springs, Kentucky, the 5th of 8 children. Michael passed away September 29, 2026 at the Iowa Veterans Home under the care of IVH and Unity Health Hospice.

Michael spent his younger years wandering the woods of northern Kentucky, working at the hardware store beginning at age 12, and blowing things up with calcium carbide. He once mixed calcium carbide with water in a bucket and had his little sister, Renee, sit on the lid. He was trying to send her to the moon. Renee wasn’t hurt but did go for a short ride in the air. When not getting into mischief he attended St Joseph's Catholic School through 8th grade and graduated from Dixie Heights High School in 1965. He then joined the United States Marine Corps, serving for 4 years including two tours of duty in Vietnam. He made lifelong friendships and stayed in close contact over the years.

He married Candi Neimeyer in 1969 and two children were born of this union, Michael and Christina. The couple later divorced. Michael was an over the road owner/operator leased to several different trucking firms. In 1990, while hauling meat out of Tama Meat Pack in Tama, Iowa, he noticed a woman who had gotten gas at the truck stop. He asked around and was given her name and number. He called her for a blind date and she accepted. In July 1995 Michael married that woman, Sharon Chyma Feisel, and they built a home in Toledo, Iowa. He became a stepfather to Lanny and Shannon Feisel. They celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary this past July.

Michael was very handy and crafty, making numerous Christmas Nativity barns for family and friends. He was able to fix almost anything. If he couldn’t fix it then it became junk, with the help of a large hammer. The family would joke there were three ways of doing things. The right way, the wrong way, and Mikey’s way. Michael always gave his all to whatever he became interested in such as go carting, rock tumbling, making bracelets, woodworking, ramp picking and mushrooming. When he first met Sharon, she made him fried morel mushrooms. He refused to eat them, waiting three days to see if she died from poisoned mushrooms. When he decided they were safe he not only enjoyed them, he learned everything he could about wild Iowa mushrooms bringing home bags full of oysters, goat’s beard, morels, puffballs, and learning which were poisonous and which were good to eat.

After retiring in January 2009 at age 62, he spent the next 6 years at home relaxing from 40 years of being on the road. He loved camping (he convinced Sharon you could stand up and trade places in a canoe. When it turned over, he had to rescue Shannon from drowning). deer hunting, processing and smoking his deer meat and he was a gourmet wild meat cook. On July 14, 2016 life came crashing down when Michael had a devastating stroke. He was able to remain in his home for 5 years until 2021 when he contracted COVID and spent two months at the VA hospital. He then needed to move to the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Michael and Sharon were truly blessed that the IVH was only 20 miles from their home. For several years he was able to go on outings such as St. Patrick's Church in Tama, Walmart (his motto was, if Walmart doesn’t have it, you don’t need it) and for family holidays and celebrations. In June 2026, Michael started having epileptic seizures and his health started failing drastically.

Michael had a strong sense of family and friends and was always there whenever anyone needed him. Honoring his memory are his wife, Sharon, children Michael (Robyn) Niewahner and Chrissy (Steve) Anderson, stepchildren Lanny (Missy) Feisel and Shannon Feisel, grandchildren Kayla Wilson, Dakota Sheriff, Lane, Wyatt and Harper Feisel, great grandchildren Ivy, Cole, and Jackson, Oliver and Rowan, Liam, Levi, Rhatt and Knox. He is survived by his brother James (Linda) Niewahner, and sisters Gayle Starks, and Renee (Mitch) Rohlman. Several nieces and nephews, and extended family and friends.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Edward, Louis, Ronald, and his sister Millie.

Visitation will be held Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 10-11 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Tama with a Vigil Service at 11:00 AM. Michael will be returned to his home to Kentucky, where there will be a Mass of Christian Burial and Interment by his family in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to his favorite charities: St. Judes Hospital, Shriners Hospital, and the Wounded Warrior Project.

The family would like to thank the IVH and Unity Point Hospice for their exceptional care in Michael’s final days.