Debra (McSweeney) Friesz passed away on September 21, 2023. She was born in Fort Benton,
Montana in 1956 to Edna and Steve McSweeney. Deb was gracious enough to share her day of birth
with Christ. She always said that Jesus got Christmas Eve, but Christmas day belonged to her.
It was 30 below the day Deb was born, and her difficult arrival set a trend for stubbornness that
she maintained throughout her life. She was the center of the McSweeney siblings, sandwiched in
between two older sisters and two younger brothers. As a classic middle child, Deb was a rebel,
challenging her parents constantly throughout high school. But Deb more than made up for it by being
the main caretaker for those same parents when they aged.
Deb lived her entire life in Fort Benton and was fiercely loyal to the town. Her passion extended
to anything Longhorn related, old farts darts, and the Missouri Breaks Gang – a band of outlaws she
joined each summer. When Gene Friesz moved in next door while building the road between Fort
Benton and Highwood, Deb tried to set him up with several of her friends. She had met her match for
stubbornness, though, and eventually agreed to date Gene. The two were married on July 30, 1994.
They were true soul mates, and Deb lost a large piece of her heart when Gene passed away in 2017.
Deb loved dogs, and they loved her right back. She never lacked canine companionship, and
many Fort Benton pups are missing their friend. Deb is having one hell of a party in heaven, reunited
with her lost dogs, Gene, and her brother Dennis. Deb is predeceased by her parents Steve and Edna
McSweeney, her husband Gene Friesz, her sister Diann Bishop, and her brother Dennis McSweeney.
She is survived by her sister Donna (Stuart) Agnew, her brother Dean (Joan) McSweeney, and several
nephews and nieces. There will be a celebration of life for Deb on June 15, 2024, in Fort Benton, further
details to be provided. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Dedman Foundation.