Obituary of Dennis Keith FRIESEN

March 6, 1960 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
July 15, 2021 – Calgary, Alberta

It is with sadness that the family of Dennis Friesen of Calgary, AB, announce his passing on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at the age of 61 years.

Dennis was born on March 6, 1960 in Saskatoon, SK.  He grew up in Drake, SK, where he attended elementary school and high school in Lanigan.  He moved to Calgary in 1980 to attend Mount Royal College where he obtained a Diploma in Petroleum and Mineral Resource Land Management, and shortly thereafter went on to obtain a BA (Econ) at the University of Calgary.

Dennis had many passions and interests during his life.  He was a sportsman who excelled at hockey, and also enjoyed playing baseball as well as high school football and volleyball. His many hockey experiences included being a part of minor hockey teams, one of which won a Saskatchewan Midget D Provincial Championship. He went on to play for the Humboldt Broncos in the SJHL for three years, the Mount Royal College Cougars in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Association for one year, and two seasons with the University of Calgary Dinosaurs in the Canada West Hockey League.  Dennis had written that what he remembered most about all the years of playing the game of hockey was not so much the awards and trophies, but the people and friendships that arose from being a part of a team.  His hockey accomplishments were particularly impressive given his smallish stature and his position of choice as a defenseman.  
In addition to playing organized sports Dennis also had a passion for the outdoors – camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking and cross country skiing are all activities he participated in.  He fondly remembered two epic trips taken with friends in the 1990’s.  The first trip was hiking the Chilkoot Pass from Skagway Alaska to Lindeman Lake in the Yukon.  The next adventure took place in northern Saskatchewan when a group flew to Paull Lake and made their way with canoes to Missinipe on the Churchill River system.  This was a four-day journey over lakes, rivers, rapids and portages.  Dennis also travelled alone to Costa Rica and took a long cruise from New Orleans through the Panama Canal ending in Vancouver.  There were many fishing trips to Northern Saskatchewan each year with good friends Dean and Morley, as well as fishing trips to the west coast for sturgeon on the Fraser River and halibut in the Pacific Ocean.

Dennis had many different jobs over his life time, early on helping out on farms, pumping gas in high school, and working at the PCS Lanigan potash mine.  After graduating from the U of C he was employed with Petroleum Information Canada in Calgary as a scout and new ventures analyst.  The office was not a place for him and after a few years working in downtown Calgary he went back to the field as MWD (Measurement While Drilling) Technician working for Phoenix Technology Services, first as an employee, then later as a consultant, and back as an employee in 2007 when his health prevented him from going to field.  His career with Phoenix allowed him to see many parts of Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.  He was happiest when he was in the outdoors and could enjoy nature.

His diabetes continued to get worse over the past number of years and he was now at a point in life where he was enduring hemodialysis for his failing kidneys.  He was tied to his home for the most part but still tried to be out in nature.  He spent many years going to the McLean Creek area southwest of Calgary, first going to mountain bike and cross country ski and then in his later years to cut up fallen dead wood to burn in the fireplace.  It is fitting and comforting to know that his life ended in his place of recreation and solitude, doing something to change the all too familiar process of dialysis and doctor appointments. He was out to harvest some more fallen trees for the fireplace when his heart gave out. 

Dennis is survived by his brother Tim Friesen and his nephew Devin Friesen, both of Calgary, AB, as well as aunts, uncles, many cousins and friends. Dennis was predeceased by father John Friesen and mother Ruth (nee Schroeder) Friesen.

A Celebration of Dennis’s Life will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY (Fish Creek Hospitality Centre, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, AB) on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.  Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Dennis’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

The family gratefully declines flowers. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to Diabetes Canada, 220, 6223 – 2nd Street S.E., Calgary, AB T2H 1J5 Telephone: (403) 266-0620, ext. 1112, www.diabetes.ca or the Kidney Foundation of Canada, 6007 – 1A Street S.W., Calgary, AB T2H 0G5 Telephone: (403) 255-6108, www.kidney.ca.

Thank you to friends and neighbors who put on Facebook and Instagram requests to help find him, the two ladies who spotted his vehicle and took the time to report what they had seen, the Calgary Police Service, RCMP and those who conducted the search for my missing brother.

In living memory of Dennis Friesen, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, AB T2X 3J3, Telephone: 403-256-9575.