Obituary for Cornelius B Friesen
Cornelius B. Friesen
April 6, 1942 – September 10, 2022
On September 10th, Cornelius Friesen of Riverton, Manitoba, died at home surrounded by his wife and family, hearing songs he loved.
Cornelius (Cornie) was predeceased by his first wife Adina (Dueck), his baby son Daniel Dale, his parents David and Elizabeth Friesen, sisters Doris and Susie, and brother Al. He will always be held closely in the hearts of his wife Dora (Reimer), his children Darlene and her husband Rob, Debbie and her husband Sam, Rebekah and her husband Jonathan, Judith and her husband Dave, Jason and his wife Dori, and Rachel, along with grandchildren Tirzah, Cora, Edmund, Marie, Gabriel, and Tomás. His remaining six sisters, four brothers, numerous in-laws, and beloved nieces and nephews will all cherish his memory. He will also be missed by those he received as his chosen family in his heart and life.
He was born in Steinbach, Manitoba, the eldest of 14 children, and lived near Blumenort until he was 16, when his family moved to the Riverton area as farming pioneers. Cornelius’s first big job on the farm was planting hundreds of trees, one of which was used for his casket. He left school after Grade 7 to help on the farm, but he was an earnest life-long learner and prolific reader.
Cornelius’s family nurtured his faith in Jesus Christ, and throughout his life he has been known in the community as a man of faith. His uncle guided him to memorize Scripture for his emotional and spiritual health in his teens, and this became an enduring passion. He encouraged everyone he met to do the same, bribing them if necessary, and was never without his pocket New Testament, dedicating the majority of its contents to memory. He was an active Gideon for nearly 40 years.
In 1968, Cornelius married Adina Dueck and started his own farm next to his parents’. They had two daughters, grew crops, and raised pigs. Adina died in a car accident. He married Dora Reimer in 1982 and they had four more children. The family later took over his mother’s laying hen operation. He was long interested in sustainable soil management, organic agriculture, nutrition, wholesome food, and natural and traditional remedies. His health experiments began with the family juicer in his teens. He approached life with a sense of adventure and exploration in all kinds of ways.
The adventure he described as “the icing on the cake” of his life was transitioning the family farm into a bakery starting in the late ‘90s. With a leap of faith and a word from the Psalms, they sold some land, converted the garage into a bakery, bought a mill to grind organic spelt, built a wood-fired brick oven, and established Integrity Foods. The wood-fired oven inspired them to try pizza in 2002, and before long they were baking for hundreds of visitors every weekend. These friends came for the food and the farm experience, and left feeling like family. He loved to connect with guests and entertain them with stories and his collection of farm animals. He and Dora were delighted to pass their baking legacy on to the next generation of family at Hildegard’s Bakery in 2018.
We are incredibly blessed to have had so much time with him on earth, through four different cancer diagnoses. We look forward to meeting him again at the Resurrection, incorruptible and free to be even more the man God made him.
We are grateful for the love and support of our family and friends, and excellent care he received from his medical professionals.
We’re going to hold a memorial for Cornelius on the Integrity Foods farm on Sunday, September 18, at 2:30 pm, rain or shine. Please bring a chair and a potluck dish to share after the service. Feel free to wear red, Cornie’s favourite colour. All are welcome!
April 6, 1942 – September 10, 2022
On September 10th, Cornelius Friesen of Riverton, Manitoba, died at home surrounded by his wife and family, hearing songs he loved.
Cornelius (Cornie) was predeceased by his first wife Adina (Dueck), his baby son Daniel Dale, his parents David and Elizabeth Friesen, sisters Doris and Susie, and brother Al. He will always be held closely in the hearts of his wife Dora (Reimer), his children Darlene and her husband Rob, Debbie and her husband Sam, Rebekah and her husband Jonathan, Judith and her husband Dave, Jason and his wife Dori, and Rachel, along with grandchildren Tirzah, Cora, Edmund, Marie, Gabriel, and Tomás. His remaining six sisters, four brothers, numerous in-laws, and beloved nieces and nephews will all cherish his memory. He will also be missed by those he received as his chosen family in his heart and life.
He was born in Steinbach, Manitoba, the eldest of 14 children, and lived near Blumenort until he was 16, when his family moved to the Riverton area as farming pioneers. Cornelius’s first big job on the farm was planting hundreds of trees, one of which was used for his casket. He left school after Grade 7 to help on the farm, but he was an earnest life-long learner and prolific reader.
Cornelius’s family nurtured his faith in Jesus Christ, and throughout his life he has been known in the community as a man of faith. His uncle guided him to memorize Scripture for his emotional and spiritual health in his teens, and this became an enduring passion. He encouraged everyone he met to do the same, bribing them if necessary, and was never without his pocket New Testament, dedicating the majority of its contents to memory. He was an active Gideon for nearly 40 years.
In 1968, Cornelius married Adina Dueck and started his own farm next to his parents’. They had two daughters, grew crops, and raised pigs. Adina died in a car accident. He married Dora Reimer in 1982 and they had four more children. The family later took over his mother’s laying hen operation. He was long interested in sustainable soil management, organic agriculture, nutrition, wholesome food, and natural and traditional remedies. His health experiments began with the family juicer in his teens. He approached life with a sense of adventure and exploration in all kinds of ways.
The adventure he described as “the icing on the cake” of his life was transitioning the family farm into a bakery starting in the late ‘90s. With a leap of faith and a word from the Psalms, they sold some land, converted the garage into a bakery, bought a mill to grind organic spelt, built a wood-fired brick oven, and established Integrity Foods. The wood-fired oven inspired them to try pizza in 2002, and before long they were baking for hundreds of visitors every weekend. These friends came for the food and the farm experience, and left feeling like family. He loved to connect with guests and entertain them with stories and his collection of farm animals. He and Dora were delighted to pass their baking legacy on to the next generation of family at Hildegard’s Bakery in 2018.
We are incredibly blessed to have had so much time with him on earth, through four different cancer diagnoses. We look forward to meeting him again at the Resurrection, incorruptible and free to be even more the man God made him.
We are grateful for the love and support of our family and friends, and excellent care he received from his medical professionals.
We’re going to hold a memorial for Cornelius on the Integrity Foods farm on Sunday, September 18, at 2:30 pm, rain or shine. Please bring a chair and a potluck dish to share after the service. Feel free to wear red, Cornie’s favourite colour. All are welcome!