The Mountaineer family lost one of its own on May 18, 2023, when Dr. Adolph “Ade” Neidermeyer passed. 

“Dr. Neidermeyer embraced life, and always with a smile,” said Dick Riley, the Louis. F. Tanner Distinguished Professor of Public Accounting. “Even when he chastised one for leaving marks on the chalkboard, he did it with a smile.” 

That smile, and Neidermeyer’s quick wit, was remembered by all who attended his celebration of life service. In particular, his daughter Mandy reflected on her father being like a master gardener inside and outside the classroom: seeing the potential of his students, helping them see it too and encouraging their growth towards it.

Neidermeyer passed away at the age of 79. A West Virginia native, he earned his bachelor’s degree from WVU before pursuing his graduate education at Ohio State University and the University of Iowa. He also served in the U.S. Army on active duty from 1969-1971, during which time he was deployed to Vietnam. He would later continue his service in the Army Reserves. 

In 1972, Neidermeyer returned to WVU as a professor in the Accounting department, where students remembered him for his discipline, his meticulousness and his encouragement. His memory for student names and faces was remarkable. As Riley said, “No matter how many years had passed, he recalled every student, every person by name” – even, on one occasion, in an elevator going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

His dedication to his students extended beyond the classroom. Over the course of his tenure, Neidermeyer helped the Accounting department raise over $2 million for scholarships and faculty development, and encouraged many of his former students to contribute to WVU themselves. He also became the namesake of several programs and scholarships. Foremost among these is the Chambers College’s Neidermeyer Scholars program, established after Neidermeyer’s retirement by Judge Duke Bloom, which supports students in key business courses by modeling effective practices and learning strategies. 

After teaching at WVU for 42 years, Dr. Neidermeyer retired in 2015 to enjoy travel with his family, gardening and home improvement projects. He was an avid supporter of Mountaineer sports teams, attending nearly every home WVU football, basketball and baseball game.

Beyond the University, Neidermeyer served his community in many areas. He was a board member for First Exchange Bank and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a member of various committees through the Wesley United Methodist Church, and in 2022-2023, chair of WVU’s Committee of Retired Faculty. Up to the very end of his life, he was steadfast in his sense of duty to others.

Neidermeyer’s commitment to those around him was most evident in his dedication to his wife of 59 years, Ellen Marie; his daughters Presha (who has followed in his footsteps to become a WVU Accounting professor) and Mandy; sons-in-law Davide and Jay; and grandchildren Eliza Grace and Jack August.

“Part of grief is flipping the coin, finding the positive,” Riley said. "Dr. Neidermeyer is, absolutely is, an example of all that is possible.

“He set an example every day – he got up and he made the world a better place.”

Dr. Neidermeyer’s family requests that any memorial gifts be made in his memory to the Professor Adolph A. Neidermeyer Scholarship account through the WVU Foundation.