Obituary of Jacob Friesen

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jacob Friesen, age 76, on Friday, May 7, 2021, after a brief hospital stay at the Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, MB.

Jake is survived by his wife Bertha, his daughters: Dawn and Denise (Kurt); grandsons: Tyruss (Brittney) and Colter; sisters: Kathy (Henry), Nettie (Bill), Martha (Harold) and Mary (Dave); brother Peter (Liz), and brother-in-law Gary (Judy), along with numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

He was predeceased by his sister Anne, brother Abe, and sister-in-law Glenys.

Jake was born in Morden, Manitoba to Jacob and Tina (née Unger) Friesen before moving to Stuartburn where he met Bertha (née Hildebrandt). They were married in 1968 and lived in Winnipeg where they raised their two daughters until moving their family to Kleefeld in 1987.

Jake would probably tell you that he wasn’t that outgoing, but if you left him alone for five minutes you would come back to find him chatting with someone like an old friend.

Jake spent many years working for Rancho Realty doing apartment maintenance and his experience with construction and machinery made him everyone’s go-to handyman for help with home renovations and appliance repair. If he didn’t know how to do something, he would learn – from brick-laying to computer software, he was never afraid to pick up a new skill. This eagerness to learn led to Jake earning his class 1 driver’s license later in life, and fulfilling a lifelong dream by pursuing a second career as a truck driver with Penner International after he retired from Rancho. Bertha occasionally accompanied him as a passenger on his driving trips, and their mutual love of travel continued after Jake’s second retirement as they continued to go on road trips around Canada and the US by RV.

They spent several happy winters at the Tip O’ Texas RV Resort in Pharr, TX with Jake volunteering to drive the resort bus to various tour locations and both Jake and Bertha competing in the Senior Olympics. Their summers were filled with RV camping trips around Canada and the northern US as active members of the Redboine chapter of the Good Sam RV club, where Jake also served several years as Wagonmaster for the chapter. Throughout the years they made many new friends and always enjoyed their company over games and other activities.

He also greatly enjoyed going fishing, especially with his grandsons as they were growing up.

Our family would like to thank the staff at the Steinbach Bethesda Hospital as well as the staff at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg for their wonderful care and compassion, it meant a lot to Jake.

As per Jake's wishes, he has been cremated and no funeral will be held.