His warm, compassionate and light-hearted soul touched many
Published August 5, 2020
WINDHAM, N.H. — John Philip Friberg III, 65, of Windham, N.H., formerly of North Reading, died on July 28, 2020, after a long, courageous battle with cancer.
John was born on January 14, 1955 to John and Mildred (Butler) Friberg. After his father passed at a young age, John and his sister Karen were raised by Mildred in Weymouth, Mass., where John excelled on the football field for Weymouth North High School and earned the nickname “Freight Train.” He graduated from Stonehill College with an accounting degree, and often returned to his alma mater to photograph basketball and football games. John worked as a financial analyst for State Street Bank and BNY Mellon.
John raised his two children, Jay and Alison, with his wife Chris in North Reading, where he enjoyed coaching many of their youth sports teams. For John, family always came first, as demonstrated by his selfless nature and boundless love for his wife and children. He put the needs and wants of others before his own, and lit up any room he walked into with his positive energy and contagious smile. John’s warm, compassionate and light-hearted soul touched the lives of so many, including his entire family, countless friends, and the Weymouth, Stonehill and North Reading communities.
John was a gifted sports and nature photographer. He was recently inducted into the North Reading Hornets Hall of Fame for his commitment to community service, having dedicated over 15 years to photographing Hornet student-athletes. His donated photos were featured in the North Reading Transcript and the Lynnfield Villager, and were featured in the hallways of North Reading High School. Each year, John devoted his spare time to taking photographs at high school sporting events, proms and graduations, and then editing and gifting them to the North Reading families in his community (Oh, those famous “discs”).
Every fall, he enjoyed a New England foliage photography trip, and every summer he visited The Belgrade Lakes in Maine to fish and spend time with family and friends. John saw beauty all around him – whether it was an early morning sunrise or the joy of a graduating senior – and used his talent to capture it in photographs.
John is survived by his wife of 33 years, Chris (Testa) Friberg; his mother, Mildred Friberg; his daughter and son-in-law, Alison Friberg and Boris Bourget; his son and daughter-in-law, Jay and Chelsea Friberg; his sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Warren Phillips; his niece, Kristin Phillips, his nephew, Jeff Phillips and family; and his mother-in-law, Marilyn Testa. John will be missed dearly, but his impact on others will live on forever.
A gathering in celebration of John’s life will be held at a later date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s name may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund, MGH Development Office, 125 Nashua St., Suite 540, Boston MA 02114 or Caring for a Cure at www.caringforacure.org.
Arrangements are by the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.croswellfuneralhome.com.
