Max L. Friedersdorf, 90, of Sanibel,
Florida, passed away peacefully surrounded by his
loving family at 7:30 a.m. on May 31, 2020, in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, after respiratory failure from
a long-standing illness.
Mr. Friedersdorf was born in Grammar, Indiana,
on July 7, 1929, the son of John L. and Lola (Fox)
Friedersdorf. He was married for 67 years to his
loving wife, Priscilla Marion (Jones) Friedersdorf.
After graduating from Franklin College in Frank
lin, Indiana, Mr. Friedersdorf began his career as a
journalist, but quickly moved to Washington, D.C.,
where he served as chief of staff for Congressman
Richard Roudebush. Mr. Friedersdorf later worked
in the White House as the lead congressional liaison
and Assistant to the President in three administra
tions, serving under Presidents Richard M. Nixon,
Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan. He served in
other appointed positions as Chairman of the Fed
eral Election Commission under President Jimmy
Carter, Director of the Senate Policy Committee,
Consul General to Bermuda, and Ambassador to
the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Swit
zerland. He concluded his career as Vice President
of Pepsico, and later a sports writer and columnist for the Sanibel Island
Sun. He maintained his lifelong commitment to government service, vol
unteering for President Barack Obama.
Mr. Friedersdorf was an avid golfer and fascinated with the history and
culture of the American Southwest and American Indians. He loved animals,
the ocean and nature in all its beauty. He was a devoted husband to his wife
and father to his two children, Kristine L. Wilkes, 64, of Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, and Fritz J. Friedersdorf, 59, of Charlottesville, Virginia, and to their
spouses, James C. Wilkes and Lisa E. (Sperling) Friedersdorf. He is survived
by his brother, John Friedersdorf of Cicero, Indiana, his sisters Barbara
Hamilton of Franklin, Indiana, and Betty Winslow of Leesburg, Florida,
and his two grandchildren A. Max Friedersdorf and John P. Friedersdorf.
Mr. Friedersdorf recounted his White House experiences in the Ronald
Reagan Oral History Project for the University of Virginia’s Miller Center
and in the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Oral History Project. He was award
ed advanced degrees from American University and Franklin College. He
will be remembered for his keen intellect, his love of reading and his calm
and measured judgment, but most of all for the kindness he showed every
person he met in all walks of life.
There will not be any formal services. The family asks in lieu of flowers,
memorials be made to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
the American Indian College Fund or the charity of choice.
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