Nelson Henry Friesen

Obituary

Nelson Friesen, age 82, passed away on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, MB.

Nelson is survived by his wife Catherine, three children: Randy Friesen and his wife Alvina, Rod Friesen and his wife Shirley, Linda Schroeder and her husband Ernie, son-in-law Myron Dyck, along with 15 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his wife Anne Reimer in 2011 and two daughters, Loreen (2001) and Lana (2014).

Nelson was born in Winkler on October 16, 1938, to Henry and Mary Friesen. He was the oldest son of twelve children. The family lived in the Elm Creek area on a farm and that is where dad grew up. Nelson was baptized upon confession of his faith in 1958.

Also, in 1958, Nelson married Anne Reimer and together they enjoyed 53 years of marriage. During this time dad held many jobs which mostly revolved around trucking. In 1969, Nelson and Anne moved to a small hobby farm just south of Kleefeld. It was during these years that Nelson spent a good deal of his working days on the road driving long-haul for various companies. In 1979, the family moved to an acreage just outside of Niverville. This move allowed Dad to have a shop and he soon got into business not just repairing his own trucks, but also fixing trucks and other equipment for other customers as well. During the 20 plus years they spent there Dad also got into buying and selling equipment. This included trips to Toronto to go to auctions and buy trucks to bring back to Manitoba to sell. This would involve hooking a few together and driving them home, dodging the occasional moose along the way. Dad loved a good equipment auction. The next move was a move into the Town of Niverville.

When not at work Nelson and Anne enjoyed various activities together including a trip of a lifetime to the Holy Land in 1977. Locally they enjoyed attending the various gospel festivals held in the summer months throughout Southern Manitoba and spending time visiting their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It was not uncommon on a Sunday afternoon to have a knock at the door with Mom and Dad there seeing if you were home and if faspa was on. In 2011, after a short battle with ALS, Mom passed away with Dad by her side. His love for her, and commitment to her, was evident always, but especially during these last difficult days.

In 2012, Dad married again, this time to Marge Friesen. Only a few short months later Dad experienced yet another loss of someone he loved as Marge passed away from Cancer some five months after they were married.

Dad found love again in 2014, when a very lovely lady named Catherine Doerksen agreed to marry him. His time of sorrow and loss fell away and a spring in his step returned thanks to her as he had a new lease on life. Soon after being married Dad and Catherine moved to Richer, Manitoba. Dad loved getting to know Catherine’s family and they enjoyed getting to know him. In their six years together Nelson and Catherine enjoyed doing most everything together. In the winter they would spend several months in Arizona enjoying the warm sunshine and any family member or friend who would come for a visit and especially those who would stay for a while. His time in Arizona was something he looked forward to and was a real highlight for him. When not in Arizona, Dad drove long-haul for a local trucking company crisscrossing the Prairie Provinces each week with Catherine at his side for every mile. She learned to love the road as Nelson did.

While trucking is what Nelson did, what we remember Dad for is his love for his Lord and Saviour which was evident throughout his life as well as the love he showed for his family.

We as a family want to thank you Catherine for your love and support for our dad. Dad you are forever in our hearts, and you will be missed.

We as a family wish to thank the caregivers at both Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach, and those at the Health Sciences Centre who cared for Dad in his final days.

In memory of Nelson in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Siloam Mission which was a charity Dad supported.

The private family funeral service will be held on Monday, November 9, 2020 at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB. Please visit the Birchwood website for details on joining the family via livestream.