James Friederichsen (1940-2018)

FRIEDERICHSEN

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:29

On August 11, 2014, James "Jim" Friederichsen of Delmar, Iowa, was on his motorcycle when a deer jumped in front of him. He always wore his riding gear and his full coverage helmet but he sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury. He never fully recovered.

Jim passed away on Tuesday morning, April 24, 2018, at the Crestridge Nursing Home in Maquoketa, Iowa. A natural farewell with cremation has taken place. No formal services are planned at this time.

Below is an autobiography written by Jim on January 6, 2014, prior to his accident.
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Born November 15, 1940 in Clinton, Iowa my parents were Mable Anna Beckwith Friederichsen and Theodore Friederichsen. Most believe I was born on the kitchen floor but there were hospitals back then. My father was a WWI veteran and was mustard gassed in the trench warfare. He was unable to be on the farm with us after my 6th year because of the dust harmed his breathing. My Mother would make many trips to the Veterans hospital with my dad and I would spend time in Dixon with my cousins Mae, Kay and Jon Fulfs. My father ended up having to live in Clinton to stay out of the dust and close to doctors and the hospital. He died before my 14th birthday.

I was raised on the family farm in Camanche, Iowa. As a child I attended a country school for six years which a country school is a one room school with grades kindergarten through the 8th grade. The school was called the Beckwith School because it was on our farm. I walked or rode my bike to school uphill both ways. Country school was a good time about 16 children were in the grades together. The girls played on the east side of the school with the swings and the boys played on the west side with the ball diamond. And yes, the girls' outhouse was on the east side and the boys on the west and there really were Sears or Montgomery Ward's catalogs in each! I ended up finishing my school career in city of Clinton public schools after the schools consolidated.

A day on the farm for me growing up in the fifties was getting up in the morning, carry fuel oil in an oil can to our oil burner while my mother was stoking up the kitchen stove with wood. Next, I would hand pump water outside and bring it into the cook stove to fill the water tank for the hot water, carry wood for the cook stove, go to the barn help with the milking, feeding cows and calves, eat some breakfast then time to go to school. After school chores I started again carrying wood, pumping water for the house, collecting eggs for our egg route, feeding chickens, milking, and again feed, bed the cows and calves. By the time I was 16 we finally had running water in the house.

My interest grew from bicycles to motorbikes. In my spare time my mother would drop me off at the motorcycle shop when she would run errands in Clinton. I got the racing bug in the late sixties and did a lot of motor cross, scrambles, and endro racing in fact I got quite good at it and was 2nd in the Midwest in points for the motor crossing the 175 class, not bad for a country boy.

Also in the late sixties industry was encroaching on our family farm. My mother and I relocated and bought more land in the Delmar Iowa area. I got involved in no till farming which is a conservationist type of farming by protecting topsoil from erosion which has been my practice since 1975.

I met Gloria in 1978. We were married 3 years later. While Gloria was busy with her cake, bread and restaurant business Andy (Our Son) and I were busy with cattle, sheep, making hay, grinding grain for feed and rebuilding tractors. When Andy went to college the cattle and sheep went too. We spent many years helping with the local steam antique tractor shows, doing volunteer work for the Clinton County Conservation board by building docks, iron rangers and lately welding silhouettes of ducks, geese, herons, and pheasants out of steel. Now I just farm my own land, no more custom work keeping things simple and just enjoying life.
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Jim will be deeply missed by all who knew him and loved him. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials may be directed to the Activity Department at Crestridge Nursing Home in Maquoketa, c/o Amanda Carr, 1015 Wesley Drive, Maquoketa, Iowa 52060, or to the Clinton County Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 68, Grand Mound, Iowa 52751.

The Carson Celebration of Life Center in Maquoketa is caring for the family. Online condolences may be left and photos viewed at www.CarsonAndSon.com.