Donald A. Friesen

Don was born in Fowler to Alvin and Winifred Bennetts Friesen. The family moved to Reedley when he was 7. He attended Lincoln Elementary, Grant Junior High and Reedley High School, where he graduated in 1956. He also attended Reedley College for two years before transferring to Bethel College, KS, where he obtained a BA degree in philosophy in 1960, but also enjoyed studies in psychology, theology and mathematics.

Don met Eleanor Hiebert during his second year at Bethel, and when Don moved to Elkhart, IN, to attend the Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Ele moved to nearby Bluffton College (OH) to be within driving distance. Don and Ele were married on June 14, 1962, in Mt. Lake, MN. They began their married life in the Teachers Abroad Program (TAP) of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Here, Don taught math, English and geography at a secondary school in Dodoma, Tanzania where their first child, Mark, was born in 1963. Their second son Steven was born in 1967, and their daughter Andrea was born in 1969.

After returning to the United States, Don was recruited by Merle Siebert in 1966 to teach math at Reedley High School. Early in this period, he also completed a Master’s degree in Mathematics at San Diego State. Generations of students were fortunate to take advanced math courses from “Mr. Friesen”, with many going on to become math teachers and professors. Don loved his work and being able to contribute so many students’ lives and careers. He was highly respected in the classroom and was dedicated to his profession and the desire to spark the love of math in his students. Remarkably, Don taught at Reedley High School for over 50 years, retiring at the age of 80. He once wrote, “When a person loves their job, I think character and vocation are difficult to separate.”

In addition to his family and job, Don had many other passions including gardening, model railroading and sports. Music played a special role in Don and Ele’s home – singing in choirs, playing recorders and attending classical music concerts. Don and Ele enjoyed back-road travel across CA and planning annual Christmas travel with the entire family. Don was a life-long member of the First Mennonite Church of Reedley and valued the many friendships formed there. An important focus of his later years was the Reedley Peace Center, which he helped to found and organize. He also sponsored the Peace Club at RHS and traveled to Palestine with Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Don was pre-deceased by his wife Ele of 58 years and his sister Evelyn Joyce. He is survived by sons Mark (m. Katerina Moloni, Madison, WI), Steven (m. Christine Landis, Hillsboro, OR) and daughter Andrea (m. Philip Gaede, Reedley, CA), grandchildren Hannah Friesen (m. Whitney Friesen, Goshen, IN), Dimitris Friesen (Madison, WI), and Joshua Friesen (Boston, MA), and sister Barbara Roupp (m. Ken Roupp, Portland, OR).

A celebration of Don’s life will occur at Reedley First Mennonite Church on June 21, 10:30 am. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Mennonite Central Committee (https://mcc.org/donate, “in tribute to Donald Friesen”) or Central California Foodbank (https://ccfoodbank.org/, “in memory of Donald Friesen”).