Steven Keith Froehlich

Steve Froehlich passed peacefully at his home in Richfield on Monday, June 15, 2020. Steven Keith Froehlich was born September 1, 1963, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the second son of Gary and Agnes Froehlich. He was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church and grew up on Wall Lake outside the city where he shot BB guns, rode minibikes and defended his little brothers from school bus bullies. He was active in theater, speech and other performing arts at Fergus Falls Senior High School, graduating in 1981. Steve then attended Moorhead State University (now MSUM), majored in Theater Arts and met dozens of lifelong friends. He appeared in numerous stage productions as well as two seasons of The Straw Hat Players summer theater program and was also an accomplished stage carpenter and electrician. He crewed performing arts events and mentored dozens of students in the mysteries of the scene shop. He graduated in 1986 and interned at the La Jolla (CA) Playhouse before moving to the Twin Cities in 1988. Steve then spent some years working at the downtown Minneapolis Dayton’s department store where he sold Girbaud jeans to the exasperated mothers of suburban teenagers, and took long breaks with his co-worker, then best friend, then soulmate and wife, Jessica Rein. Steve and Jessica were married surrounded by friends in Las Vegas in 2001 and made their home in Richfield, MN. In 2004, they welcomed a son, Max Henry, a precocious and prodigiously talented boy of whom Steve was immensely proud. Steve later worked primarily for PM Enterprises, originally as a mobile DJ but later as a manager helping grow that business into a thriving and successful events company. The family enjoyed many summers fishing together at their cabin on Round Lake, outside Dent, MN, until their happy narrative took a dark turn. Steve was diagnosed with cancer and a “new normal” took over. He fought a difficult, and ultimately successful, battle, but at great cost to his health. Throughout his ordeal, he demonstrated an enviable courage, and always maintained a brave face for his son. He lived his life with joy, despite setbacks, and fought decline for over a decade before the cumulative effects finally took him from us. His greatest pleasure was time spent with family and friends, but he also loved good music, good books, good movies and mediocre football teams. He was a steadfast and long-suffering fan of the MN Vikings with an encyclopedic knowledge of the game and a yearly broken heart that always healed by next season. We take comfort in knowing that Steve is now where the fish are biting, Ralph’s is open and the Vikes have won the Super Bowl – again. We are the sum of our influences and experiences; not only those we collect, but especially those we share. Steve was a tremendous influence on so many people, including his parents, his brothers, his friends, his wife and especially his son. His parents thank him for being the man they raised him to be - a loving husband and compassionate father and mentor. His brothers thank him for the mixtapes they still play, the books they still read and the films they still watch, plus for driving too fast with the stereo too loud, and for not telling mom. His friends thank him for his wit, humor and intelligence, and for the strong bonds that endured over so many years. His wife thanks him for loving, listening and enduring through it all, and loving still. His son thanks him for sharing his passion for music and the thousands of basement LPs that other fathers might have kept locked away like holy relics. Steve was honored to be an influence on his son and see his triple-threat musical talent emerge. There is an empty slot in the racks now, located in a place of honor next to their favorite record, David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” just waiting to be filled by Max’s own first LP. Steve is survived by his wife and son, Jessica and Max Froehlich of Richfield, MN; his parents, Gary and Agnes Froehlich of Fergus Falls, MN; three brothers: Michael (Grand Forks, ND), Jim (Heather; St Louis Park, MN) and Jonathan (Sara; Brooklyn Center, MN); in-laws David and Betty Rein (Moorhead, MN); Chris and Jenny Strutz (Moorhead, MN), Pat and Jayne Rein (International Falls, MN), and nieces and nephews Clare and Hugo Froehlich, Ellie and Cullen Rein, and Samuel Strutz. He also leaves dozens of friends, including his lifelong best friends from college, “The Boo Gee Guys,” a reference to a message of hope in a lyric from the Bowie song, “Starman.” Steve was preceded in death by his grandparents Elmer and Eleanor Froehlich, and Arthur and Frieda Goerke, all of Fergus Falls, and an uncle, Michael Pahlen, of Superior, WI.

Tributes

Steven Keith Froehlich

September 1, 1963 - June 15, 2020

Tributes

Steven Keith Froehlich

September 1, 1963 - June 15, 2020

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