Herbert "Herb" George Roleke Jr. passed away on November 20, 2025, soon before his 92nd birthday.

Herb Roleke was born to the late Herbert Roleke Sr. and Julia Burkard Roleke, and is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Ann Wheatman Roleke; his loving children, Kenneth (Martha) Roleke, Christine (Bill) Schaefer, Fred (Jill) Roleke, Margaret Roleke, Bert (Susan) Roleke, and John (Kristen) Roleke; 11 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; and even 2nd-great-grandchildren.

Herb was born in Brooklyn on December 5, 1933—the day Prohibition was repealed—and led a full life. He was raised in Manhasset, New York, and graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, where he was in the Kappa Sigma fraternity and served in ROTC. As a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he was stationed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and then returned to New York with a growing family. Herb had a long career as an entrepreneur in real estate. His gifts in organizing and planning were matched by his willingness to experiment, whether building some of the first condominiums in Queens, or adapting computers and online banking well before his peers. He was a leader in his industry, and served as president of the Queens County Builders and Contractors Association (now the Queens & Bronx Building Association).

Devout Catholics, Herb and Mary Ann met during college at a Newman Club gathering in Minnesota, and married soon after graduation. They both cherished raising a large family, eventually settling in Hempstead, New York. He loved family gatherings, gardening, telling stories, and traveling. He drove across the country with his young family; saw Alaska, Panama, Japan, and more with Mary Ann; and traveled to Germany by himself on a container ship as a young teenager. Herb and Mary Ann retired to Stuart, Florida, near their daughter Christine's family, and found a wonderful community of neighbors and at St. Joseph's Church. Herb will be remembered for his honesty, love, problem-solving, and generosity.