Abraham Friesen

Abe (Abraham) Friesen passed away peacefully on August 13, 2026, in Gimli, Manitoba at the age of 83.

He was born on March 26, 1943, in Chihuahua, Mexico, to Abraham and Elizabeth Friesen, the seventh of 18 children.

Abe treasured his family and remained close with his siblings throughout his life. He was baptized in the Kleingemeinde church in Mexico on September 5, 1965.

On May 28, 1967, Abe married Tina Peters in Mexico. Together, they had five children: Betty, John, David, Susie, and Abe. During those years, Abe worked as a mechanic and truck driver. He was exceptionally skilled with vehicles and took great joy in driving long distances to find vehicles to buy, repair, and sell. His love and skill of working on cars and trucks remained with him throughout his life; even in the months before his passing, he was still working on and fixing his vehicle.

Following the tragic deaths of his wife, Tina, and their son, David, in a car accident that Abe survived on November 18 1986, he relocated to Manitoba, Canada. There, Abe married Eva Thiessen, who was also widowed, on May 28, 1988. Together, they blended their families, welcoming Eva's five children—Ron, Charlie, Stan, Yolanda, and Viola—and later had a son together, Randy, much to the delight of the older children.

In Manitoba, Abe continued to work hard, including chicken farming, a machine shop, welding, and truck driving. Later in life, he became a school bus driver, driving for the school attended by many of his beloved grandchildren. He made time for morning stops at the bakery for a Long John, and long chats with his friends over coffee.

Abe was a great listener and would never hesitate to take the time to sit down and talk with someone. He made a tremendous effort to spend time with his family and was always quick to give whatever he had to those he loved. His life was a testament to hard work, generosity, and devotion to family.

Abe's greatest legacy was instilling a hard and honest work ethic in his children, and always expressing interest in what his children and grandchildren were doing. He worked hard to give them a wonderful life and to set them up for success. He set the example for his children to do the same in providing loving and wonderful homes for his grandchildren.

In 2019, Abe suffered a stroke that significantly affected his health. Over the following years, he experienced periods of illness and occasional hospital stays, while his wife, Eva, cared for him at home. He self-appointed Susie to be his personal attendant when going to his doctor’s appointments, whenever possible. During the week of his passing, Abe was hospitalized with a severe infection that progressed rapidly. His body was not able to fight the infection and he passed away peacefully, with Eva and other family members by his side.

In addition to his parents, Abe was preceded in death by his first wife, Tina; his sons, David and Abe; his sisters, Tina, Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna; and his brother, Cornelius.

He leaves behind many beloved family members and friends, at the time of his passing, Abe was blessed with 32 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

All will remember him for his hard work, generous spirit, faith, willingness to listen, and, above all, his deep love for his family and his faith. He was very much looking forward to meeting his Lord and Savior, so in much selfishness we will mourn his passing. 

The funeral service will be held at 3:00 pm on Wednesday August 19, 2026 at the Freedom Worship Centre, Arborg, Manitoba. Viewing will begin at 2:00 pm. The interment will take place in the Arborg Community Cemetery followed by a reception in the Arborg Bifrost Community Centre. 

For those unable to attend in person, the family invites you to join them through live stream. The link will be uploaded when available.