Arnold Fridland

Arnold was born in 1935, in Antwerp, Belgium to Abram Frydland and Doba Blajwas Frydland.

Arnold’s early life was filled with love, but also with heartbreak and turmoil. When he was just seven years old, his parents made the loving and courageous decision to send him into hiding with a brave Christian couple to save him from certain death by the Nazis.

After the war, Arnold lived in orphanages in Belgium and Israel, and eventually immigrated to Montreal, Canada to reunite with his Grandmother and Aunt. There, he earned his high school

diploma at night school and went on to study biochemistry at Concordia University, where he received his bachelor’s degree. Always wanting to achieve more, he continued his studies at

McGill University where he earned a PhD in Biochemistry. Arnold became an internationally recognized research scientist in cellular pharmacology at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His research there was instrumental in the development of treatments for leukemia. He later joined Gilead Sciences, where he was part of a team of scientists who developed the first HIV drug therapies.

In 2001, Arnold, his wife Pat and their son David, moved to Boulder, CO. In Colorado, Arnold found the home he had been searching for all of his life. Although he had always enjoyed running, in Colorado he became an avid hiker, cyclist, downhill and cross country skier. He also loved gardening, traveling (especially if it included hiking or cycling), classical music, and reading, particularly world history.

In his later years, Arnold began sharing his story of Holocaust survival with the Jewish community in Boulder and beyond. He gave heartfelt presentations whenever asked. Arnold especially enjoyed his presentations to middle and high school students, engaging with them and answering their many questions.

Arnold was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of forty years, Pat, and his three children, Philippe, Valerie (Craig Denney) and David (Laura Hamrick), as well as two grandchildren, Cole Denney and Taylor Denney. As we lay him to rest, he is remembered by his many cousins in the United States, Canada, Belgium, and Israel.

Memorial Contributions may be made to Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder.