Obituary of Clarence LeRoy Frerichs
Clarence Leroy Frerichs slipped into the waiting arms of Jesus on September 29, 2018, having fought the good fight and received his crown of life.
Memorial services will be held at Grace Lutheran Church on October 5, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. with private interment at Canyon Hill Cemetery, Caldwell. A visitation will be held October 4th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Flahiff Funeral Chapel in Caldwell.
Clarence was born March 3, 1929, in Sydney, Nebraska, the first of five boys born to Walter and Anna (Windsheimer) Frerichs. His family came to Idaho in 1942 to escape the Dust Bowl after his father had previously made his way during gas rationing. They homesteaded property south of Caldwell across from the current Gem State Academy where the boys learned to work hard by planting and tending to hundreds of tomato plants, watering them by hand as they carried buckets up and down the rows to sell to local markets.
Clarence attended school to the 8th grade and then was needed at home to help farm until he went to work at the sugar beet factory where he earned $1.25/hour. At age 19, he quit the sugar factory much to his father’s chagrin and went to work as an apprentice electrician at American Electric for $.50/hr to learn the electrical trade with Dave Douglas.
He met Henrietta Rose Leusman at the age of 17 through their Lutheran Walter League youth group and they were married four years later on October 28, 1951. He joined the U.S. Navy shortly thereafter as draft notices were being sent out and served in the Korean War on the destroyer USS Fryburger where he served as a 1st mate electrician.
Upon returning home from the war he returned to American Electric which became Caldwell Electric in 1955, where he entered into partnership with Harry Andrae after Dave’s death. As the electrical contractor for the shop for many years, Clarence was responsible for helping build some of the Treasure Valley’s most iconic buildings. His electrical contracting success helped build Micron, the Morrison Center, Jewett Auditorium, Terteling Libary and Langroise Hall, BSU Student Union, Dairyman’s Creamery, Mercy and West Valley Hospitals, Emmett High School, Karcher Mall, Simplot and Ore-Idaho plants among many others. He also worked for Johnson Electric upon the sale of Caldwell Electric and added his bidding expertise to Raydean Johnson’s shop. He was recently awarded his 70-year pin from IBEW in the electrical trade. Clarence and Henrietta built their home in Caldwell in 1961 and have lived there ever since.
Clarence took over his family’s rental business for the next 20 years where he put his amazing contracting skills to work. He and Henrietta took on the remodeling of the family cabin in Idaho City where many happy times and wonderful memories were enjoyed by the whole family.
Clarence was a lifelong member of Grace Lutheran Church where he served in many capacities as elder, treasurer and deacon down through the years. He loved the Lord and could be heard every evening whether at home or through the walls of the cabin, praying for the safety and protection of his loved ones. Clarence’s life epitomized the words in II Timothy 4:7-8
” . . .I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. “
Surviving in addition to his wife of almost 67 years, Henrietta of Caldwell, are three children and their spouses; Kimberly (Dirk) Johnson of Caldwell, Scott (Patricia) Frerichs of Ontario, Oregon, Christine (Ron) Tomlinson of Boise; eight grandchildren – LeRoy, Kristina, Trentan, Jenna, Brianna, Jacob, Dain and Drue: three brothers and their spouses Glen Frerichs, Lester Frerichs and John Frerichs and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Richard Frerichs.
The family wishes to thank the exceptional ICU staff at St. Luke’s Hospital in Nampa for their diligent care of Clarence the past two weeks.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ugandan African Children’s Choir in care of Grace Lutheran Church.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Clarence Frerichs, please visit Tribute Store