Leslie W. “Les” Fryman, born October 9, 1956, son of Robert Fryman and Don & Leah Grahl, was the third of six children. Les was a fix-it guy early in life and could be found working with chemistry sets or tinkering with small appliances while his siblings were outdoors playing. Raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Les graduated from Goodrich High School in 1975.

Les loved playing Trivial Pursuit, watching the History Channel, and riding his Harley. Les attended Tae Kwon Do classes for six years and earned his Black Stripe belt. For 15 years, Les & Phyllis spent weekends line dancing. This was their time to forget work. Les was a Christian who loved reading and researching the Bible. Even though Les was a quiet man, he had a super sense of humor and delivered appropriate one-liners.

Married for 39 years to Phyllis, Les was a devoted husband who put his family first. Les and Phyllis had one daughter, Alyssa, who developed marvelous musical skills to her father’s delight. Alyssa blessed them with three grandchildren. Les’ grandchildren were the light of his life. His grandchildren would sit with Grandpa in his recliner as a “Grandpa sandwich” to enjoy watching cartoons or movies together.

As a firefighter, he was a member of the Eldorado Volunteer Fire Department and then joined the Rosendale Volunteer Fire Department, where he was a member for 21 years. During that time, he was also a Rosendale Area First Responder. He thoroughly enjoyed being the pumper operator and spent countless hours at the fire station.

Les also volunteered for the Red Cross, ALERT Radio team, and Civil War Reenactment. As a Red Cross volunteer, he responded to finding housing, food, clothing, and medical needs for displaced people. The ALERT team did security for community events and storm spotting for FDL County. As a history lover, Les enjoyed the involvement in the Wade House Civil War Reenactment.

Over the years, Les held a variety of jobs. He worked for Pinkerton Security and Mercury Marine. Then he and Phyllis owned and operated their own radio/sound system business for 20 years. He worked two years for Quadgraphics and then owned a home remodeling business for six years. His last employment and the job he absolutely loved was doing maintenance at Baker Cheese in St. Cloud.

When Les passed away, he was doing what he loved—selflessly giving of his time to help others. He was responding mutual aid with a neighboring fire department to a garage fire, when he collapsed in the fire truck. The fellow Rosendale firefighter driving the truck came to his aid, transporting him to the nearest hospital. Les passed away on January 21, 2015.