Greta Jean Pierson Friesen passed peacefully early in the morning on Friday, June 27th at the Prairie House Nursing Care Facility, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. One hundred days shy of her 101st birthday, she was called "Home" into the everlasting arms of her Savior & Lord, Jesus Christ. Greta's Celebration of Life service will take place at 2:00 p.m. on August 16th, at Battle Creek Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. (3025 N. Aspen Ave).


Born on October 4, 1924, in Ottawa, Kansas to Jim and Helen Pierson; Greta blessed
us with her insightful, bright, colorful and loving ways, always staying very positive and
happy until the very end of her time with us.


As the second eldest of eight children, she was thrust in the understanding of hard work
and dedication growing up in the economic hardships of the Great Depression in the
early 30's, where her father, a residential painter, would travel away for months at a time sending home what money he made for the family to live on for the month. She worked in the local department store as soon as she was old enough and proudly recalls a time when they needed her savings to live on because her mother couldn't find the money their father had sent. Hard work was nothing new to Greta as she helped out the wartime effort by making extra money working at an ammunitions plant.


She watched her mother stretch their food well past comfort and this instilled a deep
appreciation of frugality, and that brought a great source of pride in sharing bargains
she came across with her friends and family. She loved volunteering at St. Andrews
Thrift Shop in Stillwater for years to foster that passion.


Greta built a life of love and service with her beloved husband, Paul Friesen, whom she
met and fell in love with at Kansas University. Their love would take them to New York
City for Paul to further his studies in Vocal Performance at Columbia University, and
they were married on December 5,1947, in a double ceremony with Paul's sister Anne
and her husband, Andy, at "the Little Church around the Corner". With a new family on
the way, Greta put her studies on hold to help raise their family of three boys,
Christopher, Peter and their youngest, Mark. All of whom kept the family very busy with
extracurricular activities.


Greta and Paul moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma where Paul was a voice professor at
Oklahoma State University and Greta was a homemaker. When raising the boys was
almost complete, Greta went back to school to earn her Bachelors of Science Degree in
Interior Design: a field of study she fell in love with from her experiences and influences
in New York City. Even late in life, it was not uncommon to see her rearrange the interior of her home every other month, as she always had an eye for interiors and fashion, and was always happy to assist friends with her expertise.



Greta and Paul made many great friends while living in Stillwater. Several special
friendships came through their late in life passion for tennis. Their "Washington Street
Gang" met regularly throughout the week and brought a great sense of fellowship to her
life. She was always happy to get her children and grandchildren "out on the courts" for
a set or two.


But her GREATEST love was the love of her Savior and Lord, Jesus. She and Paul
loved taking their entire family every summer to Christian camps, longing for their
families to experience the tremendous amount of love they had come to know on their
spiritual journey. She always loved getting together with family, which is one of the main
reasons she moved back to Tulsa.


Greta is survived by her sons and their families, Chris and his sons Jeff, Charlie, and his wife, Lori, and their son, Andrew, and Matt and his wife, Christie, and their children Eli and Lucy, all from the St. Louis, Missouri area; Peter and his wife Susie Friesen, of
Tulsa, Oklahoma, and their daughter Lindsey, and her husband, Joseph, and their son,
Judah, and son John and his wife, Candice, and their children, Parker and Cooper; and
Mark and his wife Mara, all from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and their daughter Alyson of
Lubbock, Texas.


Greta's three sons, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren were all wonderful
reminders of God's love and brought great joy to her life.


Greta is preceded in death by her parents Jim and Helen Pierson; sisters Susie
Hoffman and Patsy Jeffries, and brothers, Jim, Jack and Bill Pierson. She is also
survived by her sisters, Connie McCreary and Judy LaBerge, and many nephews and
nieces and great nephews and nieces, whom she loved dearly. Greta is also survived by her wonderful Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus in her Battle Creek Sunday School class and "The Kirk" prayer group. Greta enjoyed sharing her faith with everyone she met and if she knew you, she was praying for you.


The family is especially grateful for the care, concern and love given to Greta by the
staff at Prairie House Assisted Living Memory Care Unit and the TruHeart Hospice
team.


In lieu of flowers, the family would request donations be made to Navigator Campus Ministry: navigators.org/staff/23834909.