Lena Friesen

LENA FRIESEN

DECEMBER 17, 1943 - JULY 21, 2019

Lena Friesen, age 75, passed away peacefully July 21, 2019 in Swan River, MB due to congestive heart failure. She was born December 17, 1943 in Steinbach, MB as the third daughter of Peter and Gertrude Friesen.

She was a sibling to 8 brothers and 6 sisters. She grew up in Blumenort, MB, where her parents owned a farm. Her early years were spent helping out her family with multiple chores around the farm and taking care of her younger siblings.

Since she was little Lena loved to learn and read. She attended the Blumenort School for 2 years and then the Montezuma School from 3^rd to 8^th grade. She finished grades 9 and 10 by correspondence and after that, her dad got her a job as a receptionist-typist at Blumenort Coop. During this time she finished 11^th grade.

In 1966, she studied at Steinbach Bible School where she met her beloved husband of 51 years, Lorne Friesen, of whom she first thought: “this tall, dark and handsome young man with the brush cut seems like a lot of fun”. They got engaged on July 30^th, 1967 and married October 20^th, 1967.

After their honeymoon, they settled on their new farm near Bowsman, MB, which they purchased earlier that year as a joint venture with Allan and Gladys Friesen, her brother-in-law and sister.

During the next years, Lena and Lorne continued to grain and pig farm. They also welcomed their three sons Lee, Lowell and Lyndon. Eventually, they only kept the pig farm, which became their main productive activity till June 2010, when they retired.

They lived at the farm till 2016, when they moved to Swan River to a beautiful house that Lena and Lorne built together. This was her home till her health started to decline.

Lena and Lorne loved to travel, and during their years together they enjoyed each other’s company seeing new places and meeting new people. They traveled all over Canada and the United States. They also visited Mexico, Jamaica, Belize, Peru, Costa Rica, Bahamas among other places. In March, 2019 they spent their last trip together in Arizona and had a wonderful time.

Lena loved God, her family, friends and people around her. At 14 years old, she made the decision to follow Jesus and got baptized on January 25, 1959. Her whole life was an example of someone that decided to follow the Lord, no matter the circumstances. She volunteered at camp as a cabin leader and as a head cook for many years. She also helped with vacation bible schools, taught religious instruction at school, led many children’s corners at church and helped many friends and family in times of need.

She was an avid reader, loved flowers and all gardening related activities. She was a great cook and a Scrabble fan. She sewed beautiful quilts and blankets.  Her hands were rarely still. When she was not doing these things, she was spending time visiting friends and family, especially her children and grandchildren. For many years she was involved in bringing Ten Thousand Villages to Swan River to help support artisans from around the world.

Lena is survived by her husband Lorne Friesen; two of her sons and their wives Lowell and Jennifer Friesen and Lyndon and Shavat Friesen; daughter in law Evelyn Fisher; grandchildren Jonathan, Janaya, Chloe, Avishai, Clay and Samuel; her sister and husband Rosella and Wilmer Brandt, sister Gladys Friesen, sister Elsie Friesen, sister Julie Friesen, sister and husband Ruth and Harry Plett, sister and husband Sylvia and Leroy Plett; her brother and wife Ron and Martha Friesen,  brother Del Friesen, brother and wife Al and Linda Friesen, brother and wife Neil and Anita Friesen, brother and wife Peter and Helen Friesen, brother and wife Dennis and Margi Friesen, and her many nephews and nieces. All of these she loved and touched deeply.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Jacob Friesen and her son Leland Friesen.

All whom loved her dearly will never forget her wisdom, caring and loving character, her sense of humor and honesty. We will miss her every day, but we know this is not the end and one day we will be reunited again and there will be no more tears.

Family and friends are invited to attend visiting hours on Sunday July 28, 2019, starting at 7:00 pm at Swan Valley Funeral Services in Swan River, MB. A celebration of her life will be held Monday July 29, 2019 at 10:00 am at Community Bible Fellowship Church, also in Swan River, MB.

If friends desire, donations in Lena’s memory may be made to Steeprock Bible Camp. Box 3107, Swan River, Manitoba, R0L 1Z0; or to Lyndon and Shavat Friesen through Youth With A Mission.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lena Friesen, please visit our floral store.