Rozella Arlene Friedrich

Rozella A. Friedrich, our mother, once said, “There’s a time when you put a period on things in life, an ending.” On Monday, September 11, 2023, Rozella added a period to an inspired life at the age of 99.

Rozella Arlene Friedrich was born on June 30, 1924, in Story City, Iowa, to Clarence and Ida (Helgeson) Bickelhaupt. She was the third (or 4th, Rozetta was her twin sister) of their 5 children. Rozella graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in Minnesota and eventually met our father, Fred Friedrich of Austin, Minnesota. They married on August 28, 1946, and, after 4 children, many years living in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, they made their home in Ft. Collins, Colorado in 1986.

Family was most important to Rozella, along with her strong faith. She had 18 nieces and nephews and almost doubled that when she married Fred, who had 9 siblings. Rozella loved holidays and many were spent with relatives. She will forever be remembered for the variety of cookies she made, the ‘best ever’ deviled eggs, sloppy joes, bean soup, banana bread, and many more. There were years of camping trips, progressing from a tent with no floor to a trailer, and she was the logistics coordinator for all of them. Rozella and Fred had amazing gardens and there were always canned dill pickles and tomatoes.

Rozella was known for her competitive spirit, especially with golf, bowling, board games and cards. She played in several leagues, other times with Fred and their sons, and she played to win. She hit her last golf ball on their small course at Adriel Hills in 2018 but never stopped missing the game. Rozella also discovered she had a liking for casinos and played several times up in Blackhawk, on Alaskan and Caribbean cruises with Fred, and a cruise on the Panama Canal with her daughter, Anita, cousin Jean and her mother, Aunt Caroline. The fun she had lasted longer than the meager wins.

Rozella was known as ‘the walker’ wherever she lived. She walked daily whenever weather permitted and, at the age of 67, she took her first backpacking trip into Grand Gulch Primitive Area in southeastern Utah for 10 days. She continued to walk after her hip replacement at age 96 and was often seen with her walker in the neighborhood around Rigden Farm or going to the grocery store. Rozella also drove her car until she was 96 when her mind said it was time to let it go, but her heart always missed it.

Involvement in her community was a big part of Rozella’s life. She volunteered at several elementary schools, was very involved in the United Methodist Church, and she and Fred were very active in Lion’s Club for over 40 years. For many of these years she volunteered at the Lion’s Club Friday morning Bingo games where money was raised to support their programs.

Rozella was strong willed and stubborn at times, but she had an enormous heart and wonderful sense of humor which stayed with her until the end. She had remarkable inner strength, resolve, and determination that sustained her while caring for our dad, Fred, who passed in 1998 at home from pancreatic cancer. These strengths and her faith guided her through the rest of her life as she lived in and took care of the house they built in Adriel Hills, the death of her youngest son, Tim, from glioblastoma, and her daughter Anita’s cancer treatments and recovery. She lived through the passing of all her siblings and Fred’s siblings. Her faith sustained her even when she was unable to walk after her last fall on June 9, 2023. Getting to her 99th birthday party on June 30th became her goal. During her last couple months at Centre Avenue, she celebrated that birthday with friends and family, had visits from lots of relatives and friends, and on September 11th she peacefully made her exit to walk with loved ones who had gone before her. We will forever be grateful for the love she was given by her friends and the wonderful care she received from Charter Hospice.

Those who are left with memories include Phillip Friedrich and his wife Gloria of Westminster, Colorado, Anita McKernan of Tequesta, Florida, Kathleen Friedrich of Rockland, Maine, and Tim’s wife, Terri Friedrich, of Thornton, Colorado. Her grandchildren, Deanna Knowles (husband Lyndon and their children – Nick, Miranda, Cassandra), Mike Friedrich and his wife Jeni, Edward McKernan (wife Nicole and their children – Ella, Ainsley), Renee Alarcon (husband Moe and their son Cruz). Many nieces and nephews, especially close to her were Dort, Doreen, Barb, Carol, Colleen, and Jean who often called, sent cards, and came to visit her. Rozella always felt fortunate to have some very good friends who so lovingly cared for her until the end: Carolyn, Irene, Margaret, Elva, and Rusty, and her best friend, Ruth, whom she has known since the early days in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where they raised their children together.

A Celebration of Rozella’s life will be held in the spring, a season she loved. In lieu of flowers, which we encourage you to plant in your gardens to remember Rozella, memorial contributions can be made to Fort Collins Lions Club Foundation, Shari Thorson, Treasurer, 3019 Eindborough Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525.