Kathryn Frischknecht

Kathryn Frischknecht

Corvallis, Oregon

Kathryn Sorensen Frischknecht of Corvallis passed away peacefully in her home with loving family at her bedside on November 2, 2015, a few weeks after her 94 ^th birthday. She was born in Ephraim, Utah to Soren O. and Mary Tooth Sorensen on September 29, 1921.

Kathryn attended Ephraim schools until age 16 when her family moved to Manti where she graduated before heading off to college. She was a skilled seamstress and during high school made most her own clothes for school, church and social activities. Kathryn was active in athletics including swimming and diving, tennis and track & field hurdles. She took up fencing in college.

Soon after moving to Manti she met her future husband of 72 years, W. Dean Frischknecht. They were both students at Utah State University when they were married on February 20, 1941 in Smithfield, Utah. Their marriage was solemnized in the Manti Temple.

When Dean completed his Master’s degree, he joined the Marines and served in the Pacific during WWII, and Kathryn returned to Manti to sew parachutes for the war effort. When the war ended, Dean had a position waiting for him as sheep manager for Deseret Livestock Company, and Kathryn was homemaker for their growing family, managing three different households as the family moved three times a year to different locations to be near the 40,000 sheep on 500,000-acres of range land in northern Utah. Winter home was in the Great Salt Lake desert, spring meant a move to the hills of the eastern slope of the Wasatch range and summer was spent in the high country near Monte Cristo. For eight years their spring and summer homes were rustic two-room cabins with wood stove and no electricity or running water. Their first winter home had more amenities, including running water and a kerosene-powered washing machine. When their oldest child was ready for first grade, the family moved to the small desert town of Grantsville and for the first time enjoyed electricity in their home.

In 1956, Dean accepted a position with the extension service as a livestock specialist at Oregon State University, and Dean, Kathryn and their four children relocated to Corvallis, Oregon. Kathryn kept busy with children’s school, church activities and building a large circle of friends. She served as 4-H sewing judge and enjoyed the Corvallis Garden Club. Kathryn was an avid reader and built an impressive personal library. She worked 24 years in the OSU Bookstore which meant her grandchildren and great grandchildren received many children’s classics for birthday gifts and other special occasions.

Kathryn was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is remembered for her devotion to family and compassion for those in need. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will miss her ready smile, hugs, 4 o’clock treats and freezer full of ice cream.

Kathryn is survived by son, Dean (Irina); daughter, Diane (Greg) Merten; daughter-in-law, Candace Hayes (Dale C.); nine grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Jean (Clair) .

She was preceded in death by husband Dean in 2013; son, Dale C.; daughter, Doris Frischknecht Opager; and grandson, Scott F. Merten.

Graveside services and interment will be held Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. in the Manti City Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti.