Cornelius Voth Friesen
Obituary
With an abundance of love and much sadness, we mourn the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son, brother, brother-in-law, former co-worker, and friend. Cornelius Voth Friesen peacefully passed away in his home on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 8:37 a.m., with his two sons and some family by his side.
Left behind to mourn Cornelius’ passing are his eldest son, Willie (Lucy), and their children, Shoreh and Janaya; his youngest son, Rudy (Amanda), and their children, Adam, Maria, Rachel, Veronika, Angela, Salena, Olivia, and Grace; and five brothers and five sisters in the U.S. and Mexico. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife of 44 years, two brothers, and one great-granddaughter.
Cornelius was born and raised in Santa Clara, Mexico, on Thursday, June 23, 1955, to his parents, Diedrich and Maria (Voth) Friesen. He was the third-born of 13 children. He grew up farming, and farming was in his blood.
He was baptized upon the confession of his faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on May 29, 1977.
He later married the love of his life, our mother, Helena (born Abrams), on August 23, 1977, in Campo 52, Mexico.
His dear wife struggled with a heart condition, and with medical help being limited in Mexico, they received an opportunity from Canadian doctors who were willing to operate and install a stainless-steel valve if they committed to remaining in Canada for future care. So, Dad made the decision to leave their home country with his wife and their two young sons and moved to Manitoba, Canada, on April 12, 1987, in hopes of finding a long-term solution for his beloved wife’s health. The surgery was successful, and she was able to live, enjoy making memories together, and work hard again.
In Canada, Dad began working as a farmhand but quickly realized his family would benefit from a job offering more flexibility and stability to better care for his family. He began working for the New Bothwell Cheese factory on January 23, 1989, where he worked for almost 37 years.
This job graciously allowed him to take the necessary time off during his wife’s heart surgeries and allowed him an early retirement as his wife needed more care in 2021.
After Mom’s passing on October 27, 2021, after 44 years of marriage, he became very lonely and bored and had a desire to get back to work. So, he went to the New Bothwell Cheese factory and asked for his job back. There, he continued to work three days a week until he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on December 22, 2025, which had been preventing him from consuming any solid foods. This once-independent, strong, and hard-working man was no longer able to consume the foods he needed to regain the strength he had already lost. The very next day, for the second time, he notified his employers of his final retirement and began seeking treatment.
Chemo seemed unsuccessful as the cancer continued to spread and his body became more frail by the day. He longed to get better and live a full life again.
Dad really enjoyed going to work most days, and he talked about his job a lot, but he found joy in many things. He found joy in giving gifts to his children, especially cheese bought from his workplace.
He enjoyed travelling, and together they often drove down to his home country of Mexico. He also travelled to Paraguay to visit friends and took many road trips to visit friends and family, go shopping in the U.S., visit the Salt Springs in Watrous, Saskatchewan, and explore tourist attractions along the way. They would usually allow grandchildren to take turns joining them on these adventures, which they all looked forward to.
At home, Dad was working on restoring an old 730 John Deere tractor. He really enjoyed listening to harp music and had even been blessed with a harp player coming into his home multiple times to play for him. He enjoyed being outdoors, mowing his lawn, fishing, watering “Mom’s ” flowers, and watching the fields and wildlife from the highway. He was known for his skill in problem-solving, which he attributed to working in the fields with old tractors in Mexico. He said, “Either you find a way to get the tractor or equipment working, or you walk back home in the hot sun. It forces a person to think broader and smarter. ”
He was even able to get an old lathe working again for his son and tested it out by crafting a wooden cup and multiple rolling pins, which he was pretty proud of.
He loved his sons and their families dearly. It was evident that his grandchildren held a very special place in his heart by the smile that lit up his face and by the way he would bug them to begin a healthy tussle with him.
His grandchildren knew that pulling out a tooth would win them some money if they presented it to “Grandpa. ”
After Mom’s passing and before his own health declined, he would sometimes pick up his grandchildren for some one-on-one time, taking them out for supper or coffee.
We would like to thank the many family members and friends who supported and cared for our Dad. These visits made his days less lonely and more loved. We would like to thank his older sister, Maria, for coming out from Texas three times now to attend to his daily care, granting him his desire to remain at home, even up to his passing.
We’d like to say thank you to the members of the Abrams and Friesen/Voth families who checked in on him regularly by taking him out to doctor’s appointments or special outings like fishing or watching the fields being cropped and harvested.
To the cancer care team, we thank you.
To Crossings Funeral Care and the special long-time friends that he had made along his career journey at the New Bothwell Cheese factory, we recognize that these are more than just co-workers to our Dad. Many of these co-workers have become like family, and we appreciate the joy these friendships have brought to him.
A viewing for Cornelius V. Friesen will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the New Bothwell Sommerfeld Church at 1:00 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m. As per his request, the burial will be at Grunthal Reinland Cemetery.
