James Michael Friedrich

James Michael Friedrich was born on February 3rd, 1939, in Hospers, Iowa to John and Isabel (Holles) Friedrich. When Jim was 12 years old his family moved to a farm near Winfred, SD where he learned the value of hard work, working on the family farm and farms in the area. He graduated from Winfred High School in 1957 and was awarded an athletic scholarship to General Beadle State Teachers College in Madison, SD. In April of 1958, he was called to serve his country in the Army. He went to basic training at Fort Collins, Colorado where he scored the highest of the company in physical training. He was assigned to Cleveland, Ohio but trained at Fort Bliss, Texas, in radar and electronics.

In October 1958 Jim met Doris Tapassi, and they were married February 13th, 1960, in a military ceremony. During his three years in the Army, he reached the level of Specialist E-6 and was eventually discharged in March 1961. Their first son Mark was born in 1961, their second son Craig soon followed in 1962. With two small children, the family moved to Fort Bliss, where Jim participated in two more years of training. They moved to Oxford, OH for 5 years. Then Jim was offered a job in Oberlin, OH with the FAA as an Air traffic controller, a job he remained at for the next 25 years. In 1995 they sold their house and bought an RV and lived in an RV park until Jim retired in 1997. After retiring, Jim and Doris lived out their dream traveling in the RV. After a quick stop in Sun City, AZ to visit his brother, Jim and Doris liked it so much they bought a house where they remained until Jim’s passing.

Jim always enjoyed all types of sports, and the last ten years he enjoyed his Jeep Rubicon. He is survived by his wife Doris of 64 years, son Craig and his wife Mary and their two children Megan and Nick, his siblings Mike (Anita) Friedrich, Rose (Lauren) Carroll, Joan Ishol (Bob Shaw), Jean (Bill) Heyer, Amy (Gary) Blase, Dan (Lynn) Friedrich, Jackie (Gregory) Bortnem and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, son Mark Friedrich, brother Paul Friedrich and sister Judy Friedrich. He passed away surrounded by his family on June 2, 2024. He will be interred at the National Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ, in a private ceremony.