Helen Elisabeth Friesen
Helen Elisabeth Friesen, 83, of Mountain Lake, died
on Monday (March 2, 2009) at Sogge Memorial Good Samaritan Center in Windom,
Minn.
She was born on Nov. 3, 1925, and adopted as an
infant by John H. and Martha (Claassen) Wiebe of Whitewater. Both preceded her
in death.
She attended Bethel College in North Newton, where
she met and later married Willard Friesen on Dec. 2, 1947, at Emmaus Mennonite
Church in Whitewater. They made their home in Butterfield, Minn., where they
raised their three sons.
She gave piano and organ lessons. She composed and
arranged music for use with choirs and for publication. She was a prolific
writer, including children's stories, church publication articles, a column for
the local paper, puzzles and regular letters to a wide community of friends and
relatives.
She was a member of Bethel Mennonite Church in
Mountain Lake, where she used her musical gifts by serving as choir director of
several choirs, organist and accompanist. She also was active as a Sunday
school teacher, deacon, and in the Worship & Sew. She served the larger
Mennonite church organizations as president of the Northern District Women in
Missions, Northern District adviser to General Conference and secretary of
General Conference Women in Missions.
She also participated in the Mountain Lake Choral
Society as accompanist and singer, sewed clothes for the family, knitted and
crocheted items for the Mennonite Relief Sale, read, baked, and cooked.
She is survived by her husband, Willard Friesen of
Mountain Lake; two sons, Douglas (Sandra) Friesen of Goshen, Ind., and Alan
(Charlene) Friesen of Webster, S.D.; her daughter-in-law, Patsy Friesen of
Sartell, Minn.; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Also surviving
are her sister, Agnes (Edgar) Harder, and her brother Willard (Mary Ann) Wiebe,
both of Whitewater.
She was preceded in death by her son Donald Friesen,
who died in 2008, and her brothers, Eldon and Howard Wiebe.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Bjerum
Funeral Home in Mountain Lake.
Funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at
Bethel Mennonite Church in Mountain Lake.
Interment will be at Mountain Lake Cemetery in
Mountain Lake.
E-mail condolences to the family at www.sturmfh.com.
