Obituary

Gerald Wayne "Gary" Friesen

Obituary

Gerald Wayne "Gary" Friesen was born on July 27, 1947, to Irvin and Olga (Reimer) Friesen in Newton, Kansas.

Growing up, Gary spent most of his life in the Whitewater area with his younger brother, Robert. At age 13, he became a member of the Swiss Mennonite Church of Whitewater.

While attending Remington High School, Gary especially liked woodworking class, where his project won a blue ribbon at the Industrial Arts Fair. Gary graduated from Remington High School in 1965.

Gary was also an avid fisherman. On any given day, Gary could be found with a line in the water and a stringer of fish he caught.

In September of 1986, Gary caught a wiper (hybrid) while fishing at Grand Lake with his cousins.

He held the state record for several years with the wiper weighing in at 12 1/2 lbs. and 25 inches long.

He took a fishing trip to Lake of the Woods and several trips to Oklahoma with his friend Jim. On one of those trips, they allegedly caught 600 fish.

At age 65, Gary retired from Lance Inc. where he was a route salesman for ten years.

After his retirement, Gary enjoyed going to the movies, listening to country music, and of course fishing with his friend Jim and cousin Howard.

Ten years ago, Gary was diagnosed with prostate cancer and after treatment it went into remission.

Recently the cancer came back and had spread to his spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Gary lost his battle with cancer and passed away peacefully on Thursday (March 10, 2016), at the age of 68.

He was preceded in death by his parents; Irvin and Olga Friesen. Survivors include: brother, Robert (Barbara) Friesen; nephew, Chad (Julie) Friesen; niece, Brittany (Scott) McBride; great nephews, Brendan and C.J. all of Wichita.

The Funeral Service will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, at Lamb Funeral Home in Whitewater.

Interment will follow in the Whitewater Cemetery. A Memorial Fund has been established for Diversicare of Sedgwick, in care of Lamb Funeral Home, 120 S. Main, Whitewater, KS, 67154.

Online Condolences may be left at www.zeinerfuneralhomes.com