Crash claims life of Steinbach businessman

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/07/2014 (3555 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The community of Steinbach is reeling after the unexpected death of a well-known businessman.

John Friesen, co-owner of Friesen Drillers, died in a motorcycle crash Monday evening. He was 63.

Friesen was on a road trip to the West Coast with friends when he lost control of his ride at 6:30 p.m. and tumbled into a ditch near Maple Creek, Sask. He was taken by ambulance to hospital but did not survive.

The loss of Friesen came as shock to many community members who looked up to the business owner as someone of integrity, a family man and, recently, a passionate follower of Jesus.

Randy Wolgemuth of SAR has been a longtime friend and supporter of Friesen. Wolgemuth recalled a bike trip challenge the two of them took last November from the Canada/U.S. border to the U.S./Mexico border in only 36 hours.

“I remember looking at him and I said, ‘you’re the only friend I know that would do this with me, how about you?’” said Wolgemuth. “He said, yes. There’s no friend I know that would do this with me.”

That trip, like the numerous other rides they had together, opened with a prayer.

“Those last couple of years, we would always pray before we left, for safety, and now he’s gone,” said Wolgemuth, “He’s in heaven, though. There’s no question about that.

Friesen had drifted away from his faith for about 40 years. Less than three years ago, he was invited to a discipleship ministry with a half-dozen other Steinbach businessmen. He accepted the first invitation and kept attending their boardroom meetings every Friday morning. Within a year, he rededicated himself to his faith.

Friesen joined Stony Brook Fellowship about nine months ago, explains pastor Earl Unger.

“It wasn’t that he came to the Lord because he needed to change his life; he was a very good man,” said Unger. “It was more that he discovered that something was missing.”

Friesen was baptized upon confession of his faith only one month ago.

Irvin Funk, a friend, described Friesen’s life change to be inspiring.

“To see John’s passion for Christ, the last two and a half years, he grew like a weed,” said Funk. “To watch him grow in that area of his life.”

“It takes your breath away,” added Wolgemuth.

Friesen was planning to once again attend a missions trip in Colombia this November.

It was obvious that Friesen loved his family and enjoyed their company, said Wolgemuth. It was one of the reasons why the family business specializing in industrial and residential well drilling thrived in the Southeast.

“I’m going to miss watching him with his family, the way he interacted with them. They all worked with him,” he said.

Friesen Drillers is one of only two Steinbach businesses to exist for at least a century and be run continuously by the same family. The business opened in 1892.

The family-run operation moved back to Steinbach in 2007 after 15 years in Blumenort. They have a 32,000 sq. ft. shop and office facility on Highway 12 north.

Previously, Friesen Drillers was located just north of Steinbach Bible College.

Friesen is survived by his wife Chris, three adult children, Kim, Jason and Michael, and many family and friends.

Steinbach mayor Chris Goertzen said Friesen’s loss will be felt by the community.

“He was generous with his money and his business and I think that was a great aspect to him as well.”

Burt Loewen, formerly owner of Steinbach Furniture, said Friesen was respected in the local business community.

“When John said something, his word was his bond. He didn’t have to write things down. If you made a deal with John, it was a done deal,” he said.

What Friesen said has always meant a lot to the people he knew. Lately, he started talking about his new passion, his faith.

“He said, you know, I don’t have a lot of time left,” recalled Funk. “I’m not wasting any more time: I’m sharing my faith with people.”

A celebration of Friesen’s life will be held Tuesday, July 29 at 11 a.m. at Southland Church in Steinbach.

This story originally appeared in the July 24 edition of The Carillon.