Obituary of Fred Leslie Freidenberger

Fred Freidenberger, a longtime resident of La Junta, Colorado, passed away on December 18, 2021 at age 93. Fred had been a resident at Namaste Alzheimer Center in Colorado Springs since 2019. Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita Root Freidenberger; and his daughter-in-law, Cheryl Freidenberger. His survivors include his wife, Lois Freidenberger of La Junta; his children, Bob Freidenberger, Bonnie (Harold) Appell, and Patty (Dean) Rovang; granddaughters, Suzette (Ryan) Swygman, Melinda (Michael) Marks, and Sarah (John Golden) Rovang; and five great grandchildren. We'd like to share this tribute that Bonnie wrote on the occasion of Fred's eightieth birthday: My memories of my Dad seem to all have a common thread as I review them, and it is a memory of his inclination to make things. He began at a very early age, making tie racks and potholder hangers to sell to neighbors near Fort Bent. He continued by making a career and a business, working pretty much non-stop, teaching himself whatever he needed to know and asking for advice from people that he saw making a success of themselves as well. He made a home for our family, literally building the house where we all grew up with his own hands. He made the neighborhood where we lived better with his involvement in the Community Building and the Sewer District. He made the community of La Junta a better place with his tireless volunteerism in the Jaycees, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, the Presbyterian Church, and the Senior Citizens Center, to name just the organizations I am aware of. He made the lives of so many people the richer for his having touched them. I remember him buying Christmas presents for other people's kids because he wanted to be sure they had something under the tree. He made our lives richer and fuller, providing yearly vacations to different parts of the United States so that we could experience and learn about a world outside ourselves. With his efforts to make things, he made a better life for his family, his friends and his community. I always think of my Dad as the smartest, most successful man I know. And entirely Self-Made. No funeral services are planned at this time. Memorial contributions can be made to Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org/)