Herman and Louise (Jost) Friesen

Both of us were lifelong members of the Gnadenau/Parkview family.  We were “PK”s at a time when the church was served by multiple lay ministers, none of whom received a salary.  Herman’s father was John J. Friesen who served for 27 years beginning in 1899.  Louise’s father, Peter R. Jost was ordained in 1921 and also served many years.

Our family – children Caryl, Betty and twins Dwight and Delight – grew up on the farm but by the time they were teenagers, the family moved to Hillsboro where Herman worked for the City for several years and then was hired by Tabor College to do maintenance work.  He was not afraid of heights so whenever something needed to be repaired that involved a tall ladder, he was the one who got the job done.  He learned to play tennis during that time and could beat many a college student.  Louise was dietician for many years and then worked in other capacities in the cafeteria.

Herman was a model spiritual leader of the family and Louise a very supportive wife.  Devotions before bedtime included scripture and prayer at which time our family was on their knees and each person prayed, beginning with Herman, then Louise and then each child from oldest to the youngest.  Music was very important to us and our family sang together at many a tent meeting or revival service.

We regularly attended church including Sunday morning, evening and Wednesday nights. Louise sang in a women’s quartet, led singing for the young children before Sunday school and did lots of quilting and cooking.  Herman led congregational singing, sang in a men’s quartet, directed a ladies’ chorus, and was available for manual labor whenever needed.  We felt very blessed by God’s faithfulness.