Edwin Friestad, 92, of DeKalb, Illinois, passed away Saturday, June 1, 2024, at Bethany Rehab and Health Care Center in DeKalb.

 He was born December 9, 1931, in Algona, Illinois, the son of Jon and Johanna (Lingdanger) Friestad. His father died from complications of appendicitis when he was 6 months old, leaving his mother during the depression with a farm and 10 children she struggled to support. When child services stepped in to arrange for the foster care of some of the children, Hanna moved her family to Ottawa, IL to be with family. She later married John Anderson and proceeded to tenant farm all over Northern Illinois until they landed in the Shabbona area where Edwin became a stand-out baseball player and met the love of his life, Rita Hart.  He moved to California to work in the family business, Yellow Mart Army Surplus in Blythe, California, but just couldn’t get Rita out of his mind. He moved by himself back to Shabbona for his Senior year of High School, thinking he had a place to live with a friend’s family. The plan didn’t work out, and he found himself downtown Shabbona, homeless. As he stood there contemplating his situation, his baseball coach, Berdette Peterson, found him, took him home, and found him a job at the local bar where he cooked, cleaned and washed dishes for John Brockhouse and was given a room upstairs to sleep in.  Not really feeling capable of supporting a family right away, and Rita’s decision to go to college at Marquette, sent him back to California. But Rita had other ideas; she proposed to him in 1951 and he said, yes.

 Edwin married Rita Anne Hart on November 3, 1951, at St. James Church in Lee, IL. After marriage, Ed and Rita moved back to Blythe, where Ed worked again in the family store. Shortly before their second child was expected, they moved back to Lee to begin farming with Rita's parents when his brothers-in-law left for the Korean conflict. In 1957, they moved to their own farm on Perry Road and farmed for the next 13 years. In 1969, Ed and Rita left the farm for DeKalb, when Ed took a position as agent for Country Companies and Rita took a position as teacher at Littlejohn Elementary School. He earned numerous awards and trips for his sales and met and befriended many clients in his career.

 In 1973, Edwin was promoted to manager of Kankakee County and the family moved to the river for the next 15 years. In 1988, Ed was transferred to Livingston County, and Rita and Ed moved to Pontiac for the next 9 years. They cultivated many friendships and were active in the Catholic Church and the Elk’s Club in both cities. They retired in 1997 and moved back to DeKalb.

 Ed and Rita were consummate travelers. They visited 14 countries on five different continents and 49 of 50 states in their years together and went to visit family in Ireland and Norway multiple times. He was a talented man, a scratch golfer, beautiful singer, music lover, dancer and strummer of the guitar. He has also been inducted into the Shabbona High School Hall of Fame for his baseball career.

 Ed told the story of 3 miracles he received in his life. First, he was the kid who went to his one room school and started the fire before everyone got there. One day he lost the key. He dropped to his knees and asked God to help him. He was given a message to check his pants pocket and he found the key there in a brand-new wallet he had just received. Second, he prayed very hard for a good wife, and he found Rita. Third, he asked God for a sign as to what to do with his farming career. Within 2 weeks the pigs started dropping dead. He said, “I asked for a sign, but did it have to be such a big sign??”

 He is survived by his children Michael (Gloria), Mary Rita (Reuben) Nelson, James (Eileen), John and Janet (Leigh deceased); his grandchildren Edwin (Natalie) Nelson, Erica Wise (Casey deceased), Robert (fiancé Meagan), Jennifer Gutierrez and Anna (Steve Quan) Thurston; his great-grandchildren William Kane, Henry Nelson, Han Wise, Isabelle and Ava Quan, Elena and Ethan Gutierrez, and his brother-in-law John D (Anne) Hart and sister-in-law Edie (Jerome) Hart.

 He is predeceased by his parents, his wife Rita in 2010, his brothers and sisters, Selma, Alma, Vina Verna, Syvia, Marion LeRoy, Richard, John, and Russell, his in-laws, Cleo, James P (Bette), Jerome, Irene (Owen) Johnson, son-law Leigh Thurston, grandson Andrew Friestad and grandson-in-law Casey Wise.

 The Memorial Mass will be held at 12:00 p.m. Friday, June 7, 2024, at St Mary Church, 321 Pine Street, DeKalb, with Fr. Dean Russell celebrating. Interment of cremated remains will be at a later date at St. James Cemetery in Lee.

 Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, June 6, 2024, at Anderson Funeral Home in DeKalb.

 In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Friestad Family in care of Anderson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 605, 2011 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, IL 60115.

For information, visit www.AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022.