Ryan E. Nitka

Ryan E. Nitka, 36, of Green Bay passed away unexpectedly at his home on Tuesday evening, September 16, 2025. He was born on October 1, 1988 in Green Bay, son of Randy and Mary (Piantek) Nitka. Ryan was a 2007 graduate of Preble High School. On April 11, 2015 he married Molly Klaus at St. Bernard Catholic Church, Green Bay. Ryan was employed in customer service at Schneider National. Ryan was a proud father. He loved his sons and enjoyed spending time with family. Ryan was a devoted husband and son - always willing to drop everything to help his wife or parents. He could always make light of any hard situation or circumstances. A perfect example is when diagnosed with heart conditions, he said “My hearts bigger cause there’s just more of me to love.” He was an avid sports fan and loved football. Ryan was a fan of the Houston Texans but was also a closet Packer fan. You could tell he was a Packer Fan deep down by the endless collections of things he kept that related to the Packers. He cherished his boys and talked about watching Sunday football with them for the last several months. He even taught Jack to honor our country at the national anthem by putting his hand over his heart at the start of the singing in a game. He was sure to document the joy of his boys with taking lots of pictures and telling others about the boys and their latest milestones. Ryan also loved his family dog, Reggie, and was always in a game of tug of war with him. When they weren’t playing tug of war, Reggie would be found lying by Ryan, licking his head or feet. Ryan was a walking newspaper and encyclopedia for local information. If you needed to know anything about Green Bay or surrounding areas, you could call and ask Ryan - and he would know! He is survived by his loving wife: Molly; their two sons: Jackson and Matthew; parents: Randy and Mary Nitka; father-in-law and mother-in-law: Jeff and Paula Klaus; two sisters-in-law: Alicia (Rojo) Huerta and their children: Vincent, Ezekiel, Xavier and Cruz; Betsy (Brent) Longlais and their children: Bryce, Emmett (Ryan’s Godson) and Gabriel; aunts and uncles: Donna Gust, Shirley Nitka, Terry Nitka, Karen Piantek and Ginger Piantek; special friends: Andy and Lynsy Thyes and their sons: Carson (Ryan’s Godson) and Cole; and the Walenski family; many cousins, other relatives and friends also survive. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents: Henry and Bernice Nitka; Maternal grandparents: Edwin and Mary Piantek; aunts and uncles: Joe and Beverly Nitka, Jim Nitka, David Nitka, Kathy Nitka, Scott Piantek, David Piantek; and a cousin: Chad Smits. Visitation for Ryan will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 2040 Hillside Lane, Green Bay, from 8:30 AM until the time of services at 11:00 AM. Officiating at the Mass of Christian Burial will be Fr. Dave Pleier. Cremation will take place following services and Ryan will be laid to rest at Allouez Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum. In honor of Ryan’s love for sports, we would love to see everyone wear Green and Gold. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Green Bay Area emergency response teams for their assistance.

Ryan E. Nitka

October 1, 1988 - September 16, 2025