ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, 

Amy Louise Friesen

Wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend, kind heart and gentle soul.

Please feel free to post your photos, stories, memories of Amy and help us to honour her memory. This is a work in progress and can be returned to any time.


A Memorial Service was held at Bethany Manor

on December 1, 2018 


November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023
Dear Amy, I put your photo on my desk today while I worked. Your love for us is always present. Thinking of you and knowing you are near, Annie
November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023
Thinking of you today and always Mom. I miss you but know you are with me.
May 2, 2023
May 2, 2023
Amy, I'm remembering you especially today and the way your eyes lit up and danced every time one of your loved ones walked in the room.
November 21, 2022
November 21, 2022
Dear Amy,

Sean, Jett, and I remembered you yesterday with stories and pictures. We know you are here with us every day, lavishing us with your constant love.

I miss you.
November 20, 2022
November 20, 2022
Four years since you left us. My sweet mom, you are forever in my heart and your love only grows stronger as I often feel your presence daily.
November 20, 2021
November 20, 2021
Thinking of you and all the love you spread into the universe for your 87 years and how this love will remain on the planet … ❤️
Forever Missed..
November 20, 2021
November 20, 2021
I think of you so very often my dear, sweet mom. Your life has been woven into our lives and you live on through us all.
May 2, 2021
May 2, 2021
I wish I could give you some flowers for your 90th birthday, mom. I miss you so very much today and always.
November 20, 2020
November 20, 2020
I love you and miss you every single day, mom.
I lit a candle for you in a small chapel that I passed by on my walk today. You remain in our hearts forever.
May 4, 2020
May 4, 2020
Missing my beautiful and sweet mother around her birthday, I always think of her as I pull up at my office which has a large bougainvillea out front. She always adored them and never failed to use them as a BG to her photos whenever possible.
May 3, 2020
May 3, 2020
Dear Amy,

Your love is always with us, and yesterday on your birthday, we remembered you especially. I always picture your warm smile, the light in your eyes when you laughed, the joy you took in all of us. In these uncertain times, it helps to draw your soft presence near.

Much love,

Annie
May 2, 2020
May 2, 2020
My beautiful mom. I miss you every day but I also feel your presence close to me at all times. Your love remains a huge presence in my life and warms my heart always. I love you mom. xo
November 20, 2019
November 20, 2019
Remembering you, Missing you . My beautiful Aunt Amy 
November 20, 2019
November 20, 2019
One year since you left us. My beautiful mom. You are forever loved and missed by us all. 
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019
I woke up and thought of your birthday today, Amy. Feeling your care and love for us always.
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019
Remembering my dear Aunt Amy Today on her Birthday! Miss you and thinking of you
May your light shine on ...
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019
Missing my beautiful mom today on what should have been her 88th birthday. Such a sweet heart, forever missed indeed...
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019
I miss you so very much my beloved mama. This would have been your 88th birthday and my heart breaks to know you are no longer here with us. I love you forever and carry you always in my heart. xox I will think of you as Spring blossoms and remember how you always taught me to smell the flowers and feel the trees.
December 3, 2018
December 3, 2018
I remember Amy as a kind, gentle, loving mother of my dear friend Holly and her brothers and sister. Amy and Ed welcomed me in their home often and treated me with such kindness. Their warm home was an oasis of tenderness and thoughtfulness. I greatly appreciated their support during my difficult adolescence. I remember thinking what wonderful parents Amy and Ed were and how terrific all their kids were. My late mother spoke to me on several occasions of how much she appreciated Amy's kindness and understanding. It delights me to see how Amy's beautiful radiant smile lives on in Holly and her grand children.
November 29, 2018
November 29, 2018
As I read the tributes regarding Amy I am cosumed by the music which accompanies. This music emulates Amy as my words never could. However, I will comment as closely as possible to express my limited acquaintance of Amy. My attendance at RJC in Rosthern was uneventful by and large, except for the skating rink and the life skills acquired from dorm life. A couple of evenings a week we would enjoy night skating to the beautiful old Vienese waltzes which, of course, we couldn't dance to. Ironically, it was OK to skate to, and Amy loved to skate. She would show up most evenings and usually sought me out for a few musical strides; she was very smooth. Amy was engaged to my Uncle Ed who was attending medical school, so she always enjoyed this diversion. From now on, whenever I hear those waltzes I will probably be remembering my Aunt Amy.
For Uncle Ed and family, Sheila and I have you in our thoughts and prayers.
Wayne Funk
November 29, 2018
November 29, 2018
Holly, this website is a beautiful tribute to your mother. Amy was a remarkable woman, and your collection of photographs brings back many happy memories. Amy was my first cousin on my mother's side, and my aunt on my father's side of the family, so she was one of my closest relatives. I have edited a brief snippet from my father's old 16mm family movies, showing the wedding of Amy and Ed. It is wobbly and a bit out of focus, but I think it shows the joy of that occasion.
http://youtu.be/InBrRuocJKM
November 23, 2018
November 23, 2018
My Mother was the epitome of sweetness, such a kind and nurturing nature. Hard to imagine a world without her loving presence. She will be remembered with a fondness as great as her profound love for all her family, friends, and the natural world. Her passion for the spiritual world was unshakeable, despite some severe tests of her faith; she always remained a rock solid believer in Jesus and heaven above.
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
Dear Ed, Holly, Jackie and Sean, Gladys and Jack
I am so sorry for your loss. Amy was such a kind, loving person. I remember her stories of driving by herself from Montreal to Saskatchewan with her four children and marvel at her determination. She has been an inspiration to me in many ways. May you find comfort in knowing she has been released into eternity,
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
Oh dearest Uncle Ed...when we had our last conversation over the phone about a week and a half ago, you were sharing about Amy's deteriorating condition, and we were so very grieved for all the deep waters you and Jackie have been passing through. I wanted to call again, and every day it was the wrong time, and I remembered how I woke you last time I called. But you were so gentle, so kind, so loving, and so patient--and made us feel so comfortable as your shared your sadness. We have been praying so much for God's mercy to sustain you...and we treasure our renewed friendship with you and beloved Jackie! We never lived near enough to really know you, but we did cross paths in Arizona...and just sharing with our daughter,Kellene, moments ago--she fully remembered the time our kids got to experience the loving kindness of "Aunt Amy and Uncle Eddie", over there near Yuma, in the foothills..so many years ago. Then of course, our richest privilege last November, when our "Louise Friesen" had just flown away with the angels, and you and Jackie were such an encouragement to our Daddy Jack in his loss, and our own hearts just overflowed because you two were able to take leave for a few days, and come to BC. We treasure that visit, and subsequent phone calls, as rare and precious jewels, and hold these memories so close to our souls. Uncle, dear Uncle...we now weep with you...yes, she is not suffering now, but our God created that love that runs so deeply, when he gives a spouse as beautiful and memorable as tender eyed, darling, irreplaceable Amy Louise. We heard from your heart, just how meaningful she has been in your life and in the lives of family members...and we weep with you. We do not weep as those without hope--and THAT is the significant factor that makes all the difference, through all the sorrow. HE knows, HE cares, and to our hoary heads, HE has promised never to forsake us. We have put our trust in His finished work on that cross- we believe He took our sins, and most humbly we seek to follow Him in obedience, until that wondrous day when the clouds will be lifted and the glorious sun will break through, reuniting us with our Amy Louise Friesen, as well as gazing forever upon the Saviour Who has made all this possible!
With tears, we think about you in these days, and we will pray on--in simple faith trusting Jesus to carry you through these most difficult days, and bearing you up on His eagle wings when the sadness simply overwhelms. We love you dearly, Uncle Ed. We are more than grateful for brave, dilligent, faithful, AMAZING Jackie too. We know God has kept that angel girl at your side for great purposes.
So much love, care, and prayers,
Bonnie and Larry
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
Dear Uncle Ed, Holly and family,
My sincerest condolences to you all on the loss of Aunt Amy.
I remember her from my childhood as being a beautiful woman surrounded by a beautiful family. 
May the days that follow her departure be eased by wonderful memories and the knowledge that she is well and with her other loved ones now. 
Sincerely,
Your Niece and Cousin
Jan
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
Our families were separated by distance as we grew up, and it was only in the last 8 years that I made significant contact with Uncle Ed. And because of that, we were privileged to host Ed, Amy, and Jackie at our home in the Fraser Valley a few years ago. It was then that I caught a glimpse of who my mysterious Aunt Amy was. I say mysterious because I had not seen her in person since my childhood. She was a warm and open person and we had fun taking photos in the garden. When we went to visit Ed, Amy, and Jackie after they moved to Saskatoon, we were devastated to see the turn her health had taken. But there were still shades of the Amy we recently got to know and it was still a delight to see her and also witness the loving care she was receiving from Ed and Jackie. I know the road you are travelling now as it is identical to that path our lives took when our mother was taken the same way. We know the sense of relief because the suffering is over. But we also know the sense of loss, which started when the disease first struck. Our prayers are with you, asking for comfort and assurance, and also praying that your memories will stay strong and you will always cherish the great legacy she left you.  Terry and LIs Friesen
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
To Uncle Ed, Jacquie, Holly, and family:
I only remember Aunt Amy from when I was a child. Our cousins lived so far away. But I recall her as being kind, gracious, and beautiful.
My family visited Amy and family in Montreal in 1979. She was hospitable and left an impression of generosity.
Our sincere condolences to your family from ours.
Gaye and Walter Toews
November 22, 2018
November 22, 2018
My beautiful, sweet mother - You are my source, my sustenance and forever my shining light. You will always be there for me as I will see you in the sun rising over a lake, and in the new leaves that will come in the spring. You embodied love for me in the most profound way a mother could and for that I am eternally grateful.

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Recent Tributes
November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023
Dear Amy, I put your photo on my desk today while I worked. Your love for us is always present. Thinking of you and knowing you are near, Annie
November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023
Thinking of you today and always Mom. I miss you but know you are with me.
Her Life

The Story of Amy

November 23, 2018

Amy Friesen was born May 2, 1931 in Rosthern, Saskatchewan to Abram and Helen Epp.

The first of two daughters. Her sister, Gladys was born six years later. 

Rosthern Junior College

November 23, 2018

Amy grew up in Rosthern and attended the Rosthern Junior College as did her parents.After graduation she attended a business college in Saskatoon.Amy and Edward Friesen knew each other since elementary school butAmy was not allowed to date until she graduated from High School.

Marriage

November 23, 2018

When her father became ill with cancer she began managing his hardware store.Her father died in 1954 she took over the store for a year to help her mother and younger sister through a difficult period.
Ed proposed to Amy in 1954 but they postponed their wedding for a year while she ran the hardware store and were married in July, 1955. 

Recent stories

My mother-in-law, Amy

November 27, 2018

I met Amy at a heightened moment of her fierce mother-love. Her son Sean and I had just met and fallen in love, and she flew to Los Angeles only two months after we'd met to suss out the wheres and whys. Fortunately, our time together put her fears to rest. And I knew I was connected to a man with a wonderful mother. That is always a good sign.

Two years later, I was pregnant with our son, Jett. I remember when we called Sean's parents to tell them. We were so happy to share the news. We told them his middle name would be Michael, after his uncle, Sean's older brother, who died so young. We have always sought to keep Michael's memory alive, and our son has trained in tennis at UCLA, his uncle's alma mater.

I will never forget when Amy, Ed, and Jackie arrived to meet Jett for the first time. Sean picked them up from the airport in his old Volvo, and I was holding Jett and looking out the front window of our Silver Lake apartment. Sean pulled up to the curb, and Amy RAN up the sidewalk and up the stairs to meet her new grandson. I was laughing and crying at the same time. That fierce love was in full view. 

I loved her and I loved the way she loved her family. 

This may sound small, but one of the ways Amy stays with me is through her numerous gifts to me. She gave me so many stylish sweaters over the years that I would never own otherwise. She had an eye for quality and beauty, and as I shopped for Jett's suit to wear for her memorial, I had a sense that she was right there with me, for I found the perfect suit. 

I will remember her in many ways, but one way is when she moved about her kitchen in her blue silk robe, and the two of us setting out breakfast in her Beaconsfield home. I will remember her playing on the floor with Jett, relishing every moment with him. She loved us so much. And I will love her to the end of my time, my second mother.



My Mom

November 22, 2018

My mom was the embodiment of love for me. She was kind, patient and oh so gentle. I could tell when she was in the room because there was an added softness. I honestly don't know how she put up with her unruly brood of children but she did. She loved her family fiercely and would have done anything for us. We knew this and it gave us the security and grounding to grow into the creative, healthy adults we have become. 

No mother should have to loose a child but for my mom it seemed particularly cruel since her children were everything for her. The loss of her son, Michael was devastating and she carried a sadness with her from that day on. I know that she now celebrates her reunion with Michael which brings us all comfort. She was so happy when her first grand-daughter and namesake, Amy was born a couple years after the loss of Michael. All three of her grandchildren filled her heart with joy and were balm to her broken heart.

My mother's hands were full of love. Her gentle touch and caring hugs were loving nourishment during both difficult times and celebrations of joy. He gentle smile is what I will remember most. A smile that lit up those sweet, patient blue eyes. Eyes that saw so much loss and sadness during her lifetime but also held an enduring patience and unshakeable faith that inspired many.

My mom loved trees! I rarely saw her angry but when she heard about trees being needlessly cut down her eyes lit up with fury. She was ferocious about protecting them and even now as I look through old photo albums I found a newspaper article that she had clipped and saved about a forest in her neighbourhood that some school children had managed to save. She talked about trees and their beauty all the time. This love grew into my own artwork which is inspired and infused with her love of beauty for the natural world.

Her gradual decline through dementia was hard to witness as her mental faculties slowly diminished. However her eyes still shone bright and when she finally became unable to communicate verbally she still would hold your hand and radiate love. 

I am eternally grateful for my mother's enduring love that she gave so generously to all of her children and grandchildren. It is truly a privilege to be her daughter.

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