Remington A. Ertmer

Remington Alexzander “Baby Dude” Ertmer

April 26, 2009 – May 29, 2026

Remington Alexzander Ertmer — known to those who loved him best as “Baby Dude” — came into this world on April 26, 2009, in Monroe, Wisconsin, loud and full of life, and he never once stopped being exactly that. He was 17 years old when he became eternally perfect on May 29, 2026, departing this world in the midst of doing what he loved, on his way to the place he loved most.

Rem was the kind of young man who filled every room he walked into. He had grease under his fingernails and a cowboy hat on his head, chess moves in his mind, and loyalty in his bones. He loved cars and trucks with the kind of reverence most people reserve for sacred things — because for Rem, they were. He was a certified welder before most of his peers had figured out what they wanted to be, and he had earned a place on the Highland Community College Dean’s List, a quiet testament to a sharp mind that didn’t always announce itself. This fall, he would have walked the halls of Freeport High School as a senior. His yearbook quote, already chosen, said everything you need to know about him: “Where’s your Power Stroke, [redacted]?”

He had plans. Big ones. He wanted to move to Texas — because there are cowboys there, naturally — and he had every intention of joining the Marines alongside his brother Troy. He loved MMA, gaming, his “Lemon Peppa Steppas,” and collecting hats. He loved shooting and guns, and he had a writer’s soul tucked inside a mechanic’s hands. The one thing he could not be made to love was picking up sticks. He made that very clear.

But above everything — above the trucks and the welding and the chess and the cowboy aesthetic — Rem loved his people. Fiercely, faithfully, and without condition.

He is celebrated by, and lives on through, his mother Jennifer Leitzen; his sisters Cierrah (Graham) Billings, Nakkiah Stampfli (Abigail Wojcik), and Savannah Stampfli (Stephen Hicks); his brother William (Kaylee) Stampfli; his aunt and uncle Jaime & Wyatt Klein; his cousins Kaleb, Daisy, & Easton Klein, Karter & April Klein, and Kassidy Klein & Mo; his Grandpa Jim & Grandma Joan Leitzen; his Grandma Jessica Schumacher Leitzen; his nephews and nieces Leiland, Aziel, Channing, Bralynn, Havyn, and Hayden Rose; his chosen brothers Troy Fagerstrom, Drake Merriman, and Connor Ramsey; and his girlfriend Aubrie Monahan.

The word chosen matters. Troy, Drake, and Connor were not brothers by accident of birth — they were brothers by the truest measure, the kind Rem picked for himself. That says something about who Remington is, and something about who they are.

Though the grief of losing him is immeasurable, his family takes comfort in knowing that Rem is safe and at peace in the Kingdom of God, and that his last moments were spent doing what he loved most, headed toward the place that called to his heart. He did not leave this world a stranger to joy.

Heaven gained a certified welder, a cowboy at heart, a chess player, a future Marine, and one young man who knew exactly who he was and who he loved. Rest easy, Baby Dude. No sticks to pick up where you’re going.

A celebration of Remington’s life will be announced by the family at a later time.