David Friesen

There will be a public visitation for David Friesen of Coon Rapids, MN on Friday, June 12, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris, Minnesota.  A private family funeral service will be held. Burial will be in Summit Cemetery in Morris.

There will be a live stream of David's service starting at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2020.  To view the service on the Pedersen Funeral Home website, scroll to the bottom of David's page and click the link.

To protect the health and safety of all, services are currently being limited as required by state and local authorities and the CDC. Expressions of sympathy during this time can be left on the condolences page available with the obituary on our website. We also encourage you to view the video tribute and/or webcast of the service that may be available. Check the funeral home website for the latest COVID-19 update.

David Gary Friesen was born on June 17, 1967 to Robert and Jane (Henriksen) Friesen in Stuttgart, Germany where his father was stationed while serving in the United States Army.  The family relocated multiple times after returning to the States before settling in Alberta, Minnesota in 1972.  David was baptized and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Morris where he received his education and subsequently graduated from Morris High School, class of 1985.  Following high school, David attended the U of M in Morris, on a football scholarship, before taking a different route and joining the Minnesota National Guard and attending Alexandria Technical College for Fluid Power Technology.  After graduating, he and Brenda Leonard, moved to Jacksonville, Florida.  He took a job with Hydraulic Supply and transferred to the Florida National Guard.  They were married in Florida in 1993.  In 1996, his career path relocated them to Wichita, Kansas where they welcomed a daughter, Emma Leigh, into their lives.  David worked at Williams Equipment and then Brand Fluid Power before being recruited by Innovative  Fluid Power (IFP) where he was a founding member and partner of the Innovative Fluid Power – West division.  In addition to his leadership role, he was a sales representative and after moving to Minnesota, was later promoted to the Account Manager position where he was able to help the IFP North outside sales team build their business.

The IFP CEO had this to say about David, “In this world there are ‘me ’people and there are ‘we’ people.  We all have a little bit of both of those in us, but Dave definitely was a “WE” person.  He cared about others, was self-motivated, was very knowledgeable about the products that we represent and was able to work easily with others within our organization.  His opinions were always from the heart and well worth listening to.  His customers and all the people he dealt with in the IFP organization felt he was a pleasure to work with.”

David lived his life around strong values and principles., He was patriotic, honest, a man of integrity, and always had a plan.  He was a loving father and cherished his daughter Emma Leigh.  The two shared many experiences together, including hunting excursions for upland game, mule and white deer, antelope, bear and turkey.  David was a passionate hunter, taking many trips nationwide and the occasional trip muzzle loading with his Dad.    David loved taking his Harley-Davidson for a cruise, whether it was a long or short trip.  David was very proud of his recovery with Alcoholism.  When he made the decision to get help, he moved back to Minnesota and went all in becoming a leader to others overcoming the same obstacles.  He stayed honest and focused in his recovery and celebrated the hope of recovery, the future and celebrating life.  David was very loving and gave the best hugs!  He always saw the glass as ½ full, and sometimes ¾ full!  He had the silliest things to say and was often shouting out a catch phrase.  “How You Doing?” “Dream Great Dreams” and “It’s a beautiful Moring – I hope you enjoy this wonderful day!” will be dearly missed.

David died unexpectedly on Sunday, May 31, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.  He was 52 years old.

David is survived by his daughter, Emma Leigh Friesen of Morris; dad, Robert Friesen of Starbuck; brothers: Todd (Marcia) Friesen of Minneapolis and Timothy (Carolyn) Friesen of Brooklyn Park; nieces and nephews: Blake and Raechel Friesen, Erika, Katelyn and Carter Friesen; aunts and uncles: Carol (David) Groff of Clara City, Sandra (Doug) Buchan of Texas,  and Jim (Jan) Henriksen of Washington; and many cousins.   He is preceded in death by his mother, Jane Henriksen.  .

Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris is in charge of arrangements for David.

Please consider leaving a personalized photo/message for the family through our Heartstrings Program, which is located on our home page. Pedersen Funeral Home will display your photo/message for the family to have a tangible presence at their services through this difficult time.