Remembering

Warren Friessen

Aug. 23, 1930 - April 2, 2024

Family. Faith. Work ethic. Community. Dreams.

Warren Friessen held these values close to his heart throughout his lifetime. Now his family holds him in their hearts as they mourn his loss and celebrate his legacy.

Warren’s story is a westside Sioux Falls story. One of five children of Bill and Elsie Friessen, he was born Aug. 23, 1930, and his childhood home was where Roosevelt High School now sits. When he got married, he built a house on Marion Road, now where the Cardinal Cove housing development sits. In 1993 he built his dream home overlooking Dunham Park in the Prairie Pointe development on his former farmland. He passed away peacefully at age 93 on April 2, 2024.

Warren attended Cathedral High School and started several businesses before incorporating Friessen Construction Co., Inc. in 1968. Before starting his construction business, Warren farmed various spots in western Sioux Falls, including on one of the parcels of land he’d later purchase that is now part of Lake Lorraine. He competed 13 times in corn picking contests, won the National Corn Picking Contest twice and was a five-time corn picking contest champion in South Dakota.

He had a childhood memory of getting “kicked out” of a developer’s gravel pit. The way Warren remembered it, he was with his father on an errand and happened to have his new fishing pole with him. After practicing only one cast, Warren said, the owner of the gravel pit yelled at him and told him to put his fishing pole away and get lost.

“I remembered that and thought, maybe I can build my own lake, which we did,” he said.

It could be said that Warren helped build Sioux Falls from the ground up, with the number of construction projects he was part of in his lifetime. The projects were varied, from numerous street construction in all corners all over the city, including to the 26th Street I-29 interchange to site work for schools, retail businesses, housing projects and more. And, of course, the Lake Lorraine development. Friessen Construction celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2018. Many Friessen Construction employees also spent decades building Lake Lorraine with Warren.

Warren might say the best decision he made, however, was marrying Hilda Lorraine Hooshagen on Feb. 19, 1955, at St. Joseph Cathedral. Hilda was “a kind, loving and beautiful lady,” Warren said. Together they raised two daughters, Cindy Monnin and Patty Vognild, and enjoyed 62 years of marriage until Hilda passed away May 27, 2017.

How the Lake Was Made

Friessen Construction Company, Inc. specializes in site excavation and street construction. Over the course of 15 years, he purchased five parcels of land that could be used for those projects and now make up the Lake Lorraine development.

The first 55 acres purchased in the early 1970s is where the lake itself sits today. The straight east shoreline was basically the east-most property line of that parcel and accounts for the lake’s triangular shape. Second was the adjacent 40 acres along Marion Road, purchased in 1975. The next three parcels weren't acquired until 1991 — the homestead, a two- to three-acre parcel just west of the homestead, and finally 26 acres along Interstate 29.

Warren knew there was water under the sand, he said, because he’d seen another gravel pit further north that was on the Skunk Creek aquifer. Friessen Construction excavated more than 750,000 yards of sand — approximately 75,000 truckloads — and Warren dug out the fill material with the idea of a lake always in the back of his mind.

Family Memories

“It was kinda neat to have a little pond of your own and not get kicked out,” Warren said of the land after it was dug out.

And he was correct — while the Friessen Construction crew was digging up sand, the hole filled up with water from the Skunk Creek aquifer. Warren stocked the lake several times to have his own special fishing hole.

For approximately 20 years the Friessen family made memories at the lake. Every summer, Warren would use his loader to clear off the overgrown weeds so family could swim or fish from the shore. They spent weekends on their pontoon boat and even waterskied (in circles) behind it. They also used a small paddle boat with a trolling motor to fish. One of Warren’s favorite memories was fishing with his daughter, Patty, along the east shore when the bass were biting.

The original home, a small, two-bedroom farmhouse, remained on the property throughout this time. The house and chicken coop were demolished in 2017 as development started along Lorraine Place, the road that runs along the east side of the lake. The old barn was gently dismantled in 2018 and some of the barnwood can be found inside the Hyatt Place that now sits near where the old house was located.

The renters helped serve as “watchdogs” over the lake and fenced-in property. Even though it was fenced in, the property was an active construction site, it was a temptation for neighborhood youngsters and curious anglers. Neighbors on 34th and 37th streets, Thurman Drive and Jeanne Drive have shared with the Friessens the things they used to do sneaking into the undeveloped, fenced-in property. More than anything, residents wondered if there would ever be something built at that lake after hearing two to three different plans.

Third time’s the charm

The land’s original concept in the 1980s was to have single-family homes around the lake frontage. The interstate noise was a main concern for housing, so Friessen Construction added two large dirt berms along I-29 with evergreens planted all along the berms to aid in noise reduction. Despite the tree buffer, this plan never materialized because of the interstate noise concern. Instead Friessen Construction developed single family homes on 98 acres just northwest of 26th Street called Prairie Highlands and Prairie Pointe, which was some of Warren’s farmland.

In the early 2000s, the family hired a consultant to help develop a new concept — seven-story condos along the interstate and four-story condos around the lake. Architecture Inc. was hired to design the upscale condos. Friessen Family LLC was formed shortly after. The team surveyed potential tenants to see the level of interest and to learn what amenities were most in demand. In the end, the family opted to not move forward with the project as financing was more difficult to obtain than they envisioned and they didn’t want to take on such a huge risk. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise; shortly after in 2008, “The Great Recession” hit and the housing market plummeted.

In 2012, the Friessens considered selling the entire 130-acre parcel to another developer. Although a few offers were discussed, nothing came to fruition. After seeing the city’s south and east sides develop like crazy, Warren wondered, “Do you think we missed our chance?”

Lorraine is the perfect name

For years the Friessen family debated what to call the lake project. Friessen Construction employees called the lake site the “Terry Pit” because Terry Avenue was the street on the south end of the land. Lake Friessen (pronounced “freezin’”) didn’t sound very warm or inviting. Lake Warren seemed logical because acquiring all the land and creating the lake was Warren’s dream.

But it wasn’t until a family meeting in the early 2000s that the idea of “Lake Lorraine” was mentioned, and Patty is given credit for the suggestion. Warren’s wife was Hilda Lorraine. Warren, Cindy and Patty say Hilda didn’t lobby for the name — everyone agreed. The Friessen family has three generations of women who share the name Lorraine — matriarch Hilda Lorraine, granddaughter Angela Lorraine and great-granddaughter Cora Lorraine.

In looking back at the name discussion, Warren said it was a perfect fit.

“I don’t think it could be a better name than Hilda’s middle name and that of our two granddaughters,” he said. “Lorraine just flowed right through.”

Though Hilda passed away in May 2017, she saw the start of the lifestyle center. The name has a very special meaning to the Friessen family, even more so after Hilda’s passing.

Building a lifestyle center

“Everybody said it’s never gonna be developed,” Warren said. “We had the property, but we didn’t have the expertise.”

In 2013 Friessen Development, Inc. partnered with another multi-generational family company, VanBuskirk Companies, to market land for sale and leasable space to develop a lifestyle center around the lake. VanBuskirk Company had a broader experience with residential and commercial. VBC brought in national retailers and worked with small businesses to diversify the retail and restaurant options. Lake Lorraine is home to several major brands that have their only location in the state at the development.

As the lifestyle center developed, bringing with it retail, restaurants, services and traffic, the well-kept secret was no longer hidden. The Friessen family wanted to ensure “quiet enjoyment” of the lake remained a priority. The paved, one-mile Lake Walk around the 30-acre body of water allows local business employees, visitors and area residents to enjoy the outdoor space in the middle of the city. Because the lake itself is still owned by the family, there are restrictions on what can take place. Fishing is only allowed through classes or events with Game, Fish & Parks. Paddleboard classes and rentals started in 2020 when private company Flow & Paddle located at the lake.

Lake Lorraine’s water quality is noticeably clear. The family built around the lake intentionally to ensure runoff doesn’t drain into the lake. Keeping the water quality high was always one of Warren’s priorities from the very beginning. The last few years, students at Southeast Technical College have tested the water as part of a class and confirm its clarity. Guests who go on the water with Flow & Paddle often comment how clear the water is when they “accidentally” fall off the paddle boards.

Friessen Development holds events to bring the community to the lake for events, like the annual Halloween at Lake Lorraine trick-or-treating event that welcomes thousands to Loop the Lake, where participants race around the lake on kayaks or paddleboards. The weekly farmers market started in 2019 and is the city’s only westside market. The possibilities are endless for what else could take place, from charity walks to triathlons to more live music.

Daughters Cindy and Patty remember when the first stores opened on the east side that Warren parked near the north end of the development and watched the traffic go by, counting cars. And there were a lot of cars to count — the Lake Lorraine dream was a growing success and the concept of a lifestyle center was well-received.

A Lasting Legacy

“It’s one of the better developments in Sioux Falls,” Warren said. “I don’t need to be famous. The girls should get the credit.”

Warren met with Mayor Paul TenHaken and family in the summer of 2023 when they came out to experience paddleboarding on the lake. Warren talked about his dream to own a lake and his family’s decision to share it with the greater community. As the property fills up with new developments, partnerships with entities like the City of Sioux Falls and South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks will continue to enhance Lake Lorraine.

“I built the lake, I wanted it,” Warren said, “but they developed the lake. The girls have done a really good job.”

In recent years, Warren could often be found driving around the lake in one of his pick-up trucks checking out the progress, especially the dirt work. Occasionally he would offer advice to his daughter Cindy, who is the current President of Friessen Construction Co. Warren liked to visit friends who lived at Legends on Lake Lorraine, the retirement community on the south end of the lake. He also enjoyed sitting at the Lake Lorraine Farmers Market and visiting with customers and vendors (and picking up musk melon and a sweet treat or two). The Friessen family regularly got together at the lake; his favorite meal was the almond-crusted walleye at The SandBar and Grill.

Warren at Lake Lorraine

Warren’s legacy is more than just Lake Lorraine, however. His faith and his love on in the memories of his family — daughters Cindy Monnin and Patty Vognild and their husbands, Tom Monnin and Brian Vognild; four grandchildren: Kirby (Jamie) Monnin, Katie (Corey) Loomis, Allie (Luke) Hubers, and Angela Lorraine Vognild; and five great-grandchildren (with one on the way): Peyton, Cora Lorraine, Ruby and Ellie Monnin, and Riley Loomis.