Richard Friese, age 65, of Garrison, ND, went to his heavenly home on December 28, 2014 at the Garrison Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10:30am Friday, January 2, 2015 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Garrison with Fr. John Kandathiparambil officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery with military rites provided by the Garrison American Legion Hugh P. Minehan Post 49. Visitation will be held on Thursday from noon to 4:00pm at the Thompson Funeral Home, Garrison. There will be a prayer service at 5pm Thursday at the church.

Richard was born on March 13, 1949 to Gerald and Dorothy (Ireland) Friese. He was raised and educated in Garrison and graduated from the Garrison High School in 1967. He graduated from Wahpeton State School of Science with a degree in Architectural Drafting and he went on to work in Marshall, MN for a short time. He was drafted into the US Army and served stateside until his discharge. In 1971 he married Patty Krantz and together they made their home in Garrison. He worked on the Snake Creek Pumping Plant and then worked for Keller Construction where he helped build many of the homes in Garrison.

When Rick was growing up, he always loved spending time at his grandparent's farm and eventually took over the farming/ranching operation in the early 1980's. After retiring from farming, he became a crop insurance adjuster. He served as financial secretary for the Knights of Columbus and St. Mary's Township for many years. He was also a member of Garrison American Legion Hugh P. Minehan Post 49.

He was a fun loving guy and had many special friends. He loved playing guitar and spent many nights strumming along with friends at parties. He joined a local group called the Jammers, and he also played guitar and sang in church.

He was an avid sports fan and was an armchair quarterback for the Vikings for every game. He loved to golf and be with his buddies and rarely missed a tournament.

Everything he did, he did well. He was a loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend and will be missed by many.

He is survived by his wife, Patty, Garrison, ND; daughter, Racheal (Gary) Lind and a son, Frank, all of Bismarck, ND; grandchildren: Parker and Peyton Lind; father and step mother: Gerald and Louise Friese, Garrison, ND; sisters: Val Jungling, Bismarck, ND, Lynette Walters, Yakima, WA, Peg Walsh, Millstadt, IL; half-sisters, Leslee Huston, Bismarck, ND, Tammy Huston, Garrison, ND and half-brother, David Huston, Minot, ND; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Huston and grandparents, Frank and Edith Ireland, and Frank and Josephine Friese. The family prefers memorials to American Cancer Society.