Businessman, car dealer.
Born at Gnadenheim, Barnaul, Russia on 30 November 1922 to Helena Braun (1898-1982) and Johann J. Friesen 1898-1962), he immigrated with his family to Manitoba in 1926, where they eventually settled on a farm near La Salle. Farm life was difficult and he had to leave school after Grade 3 to help out.
Leaving home at age 17, he worked for a time at Erb's Transfer at Oak Bluff, but his dream was to own a Ford dealership. The road to that goal included owning several autobody and service businesses, including Johnnie's Service and Sanford Motors in Sanford from the late 1940s to early 1950s; Corydon Motors in Winnipeg in the 1960s; and finally, the realization of his dream, Landau Ford Lincoln Sales Limited in Winnipeg from 1977 to 2012.
On 8 October 1943, he married Margaret Regehr (1925-2013) and they went on to have five children. He was an eternal optimist who believed all things were possible. A consummate salesman and entrepreneur, he was also known for his tenacity and his commitment to his work ethic. His nickname was “The Chief.”
He died on 7 March 2012 and was buried in the La Salle Mennonite Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 10 March 2012.
Obituary [Margaret Friesen], Winnipeg Free Press, 25 June 2013.
“Johann John Friesen,” Unruh Regier Family Tree, Ancestry.
John Friesen Jr., FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 16 April 2026
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