HILLSBORO — A 60-year-old Beaverton man who often appeared on “Little People, Big World” as a close friend of the family chronicled on TLC’s reality show died Thursday.
Matt and Amy Roloff announced on their family Web site, mattroloff.com, that Michael James Detjen, who helped around the Roloffs’ Helvetia-area farm in Washington County, died early Thursday after suffering a ruptured aorta.
“It was a shock,” Matt Roloff said. “He was like a family member.”
Detjen was taken to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center after grabbing his chest and passing out Wednesday evening during a meeting of the Hillsboro Soccer Club. Detjen died during surgery, Roloff said.
The Roloffs said they met Detjen about six or seven years ago through soccer. Besides coaching young players, “he was such a tireless advocate for soccer,” Matt Roloff said.
Amy Roloff said Detjen helped his players develop character. “He always taught them to try to be the best you can be for yourself and try to be the best you can be for your team,” she said.
Detjen took early retirement from Intel to help Matt Roloff start a company that sold kits to hotels to make rooms more accessible to people who have dwarfism. They remained business partners.
Detjen was injured in October 2006, along with one of the Roloff children, in an accident involving a pumpkin launcher he built.

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