 |
John Rudolph Friesen
|
Cleric, broadcaster.
Born at Gnadenthal on 24 August 1934, one of six children of Johann S. Friesen (1909-1995) and Maria Sawatzky (c1910-1950), his early years were spent at Starbuck and Winkler. In 1957, he graduated from the Canadian Mennonite Bible College and, the following year, received a BA degree from Bethel College at Newton, Kansas. He then completed a MDiv degree from the Mennonite Biblical Seminary at Elkhart, Indiana.
In July 1961, he began a two-year assignment with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), serving as pastor for MCC volunteers in western Europe and northern Africa. During the winter months, he taught at the Bienenberg Bible School in Switzerland. In 1963, he moved to Berlin to take further seminary studies and become acquainted with the Berlin Mennonite Church. He returned to Canada for two years (1964-1966) then answered a call from the Berlin Mennonite Church to provide pastoral care for Mennonite communities in the divided Berlin, both East and West. He and his wife also oversaw a “Menno-Heim” (Mennonite Guesthouse) for East Germans prior to erection of the Berlin Wall. He continued to support Mennonite communities in East Germany and arranged for medical supplies to be delivered to North Vietnam during the war there.
He returned to Winnipeg in 1976 and served as pastor of the Home Street Mennonite Church (1976-1982), St. Catharines (Ontario) United Mennonite Church (1984-1991), and First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg (1991-1999) until retirement in 1999. In retirement, he provided interim ministry in Germany (2000-2001), Bergthaler Mennonite Church in Winkler (2002-2004), and River East Mennonite Church (2005-2008).
His fluency in German enabled him to deliver sermons on the radio ministry “Frohe Botschaft” (Good News) in Manitoba from 1966 to 2011. He also broadcast Sunday morning prayers for people in East Berlin.
On 23 June 1956, he married Marian Helena Hildebrand and they had two sons and an adopted Vietnamese daughter.
He died at his Winnipeg home on 21 March 2011 and was buried in the Bloomfield Rosewell Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 29 March 2011.
John R. Friesen (1934-2011), Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.
John R. Friesen, FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Dave Loewen and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 September 2025
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
