Obituary of Gottfried G. Riesen

Gottfried George (Fred) Riesen Sidney, NY Fred went to be with our Lord on June 26, 2015. He was born in Hollandale, Wisconsin on February 22, 1918, the son of Gottfried and Rosa (Gilomen) Riesen. He leaves behind to cherish his memory: his loving daughter, Judith Riesen Wright and her husband, Richard Wright; and his much cherished grandchildren: Todd (Heather) Wright and Wendy (Greg) Fortune. He also leaves behind his six great-grandsons: Christopher and Michael Wright, Patrick, Andrew, Matthew and Ryan Fortune. He also is survived by his siblings: Herman (Ginny) Riesen, Ernie Riesen, Helen Rosencranz and Richard (Marilyn) Riesen. He also leaves many nieces, nephews and cousins both here and in Switzerland. Fred worked for the Scintilla-Bendix Corporation for 48 years, retiring in 1983 as Supervisor of Tool Control & Procurement. Fred was very active in his community and his church. He was a member of the Sidney Community Chest and co-chaired it for several years. He was a member of the Town Planning Board for several years, and also served as Chairman of the Delaware County Planning Board for 8 years. He served on various church committees and was a Trustee of the Sidney United Methodist Church as their Treasurer for 10 years, and played a vital role in establishing a church endowment fund. He participated in all of the activities of his church including making peanut brittle, the church bazaar, and Wednesday evening bible study. Fred also sat on the Board of the Sidney Federal Credit Union for a number of years and was instrumental in the growth of the credit union. Fred played a large role in the writing of the "Sparks in the Dark" and helped establish the putting together of the Scintilla-Bendix museum. Fred was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons for 71 years and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks for over 60 years. Fred was predeceased on January 13th of this year by his loving wife, Millie, to whom he was married for 73 ½ years. She was buried on June 1st, just one month prior to his burial. They will now be together once again. Fred will be put to rest on Wednesday, July 1, 2015. Calling hours are from 11:00am to 12noon at C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel , 21 Main Street Sidney with funeral services following at 12:00noon. Interment burial service will immediately follow at the Oneonta Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to either Hospice at St. Peters Hospital, Albany, NY or to the Sidney United Methodist Church, Sidney, NY. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family online at www.landersfh.com. Arrangements are under the direction of C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, Sidney.