Bryan Lane Freitag, age 56 of Bismarck, ND, formerly of Bowman, ND passed away on Saturday December 3, 2011 at the St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, ND. Funeral services for Bryan will be Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 2:00pm at the Bowman Lutheran Church, Reverend Galen Strand and Reverend Chuck Swanson will officiate and burial will follow in the Bowman Cemetery. There will be a Family and Friends Service on Friday, December 9, 2011 at the Bowman Lutheran Church at 7:00pm.

Bryan L. Freitag was born in Bowman, North Dakota on June 30, 1955, the son of Donald and Ferne (Bagley) Freitag. He was baptized at the Bowman Lutheran Church. Bryan attended Cottage Country School through the eighth grade and attended and graduated from Bowman High School in 1973. Upon graduation he attended college in Wahpeton, North Dakota for Diesel Mechanics.

Bryan grew up working and playing on the family farm and developed a great love for the outdoors and nature. He had a passion for horses and animals, enjoying raising exotic chickens, ducks, and pheasants on the farm. While working with his team of Belgian horses he demonstrated old equipment and helped with many threshing events and sleigh rides which were greatly appreciated by all. One of Bryan's fond memories was going on the wagon train from Marmarth, ND to Medora, ND – a three day journey led by horse-drawn wagons through the prairie following the course of the Little Missouri River. Bryan enjoyed holistic and organic farming which was rooted in his love for history. He was always intrigued by the 'old ways of living' and horse-drawn machinery. Over the years he collected many antiques and was fond of windmills and old time wind-powered generators. He spent many days of his life trying to make things better, whether it was fixing a piece of machinery or engineering it to work more efficiently.

Bryan enjoyed working for several ranchers in the Camp Crook, SD area. He moved to Tioga, ND early in 2008 and worked for Wade Works Services. He was injured in Dec. 2008, but he always kept a positive attitude and never gave up hope. Bryan lived his life to the fullest, seeking his dream of having a home in the country where he could have a garden and following his passion for nature and the great outdoors. Bryan had a heart of gold and was always helping others. He touched the lives of many people with his kind spirit and his giving personality.

Bryan always looked forward to his daily phone calls from his mother. If she didn't call by 7:00pm, he would be calling her to see if she was ok. He also enjoyed his weekly care packages from her, full of homemade baked cookies and buns. He always joked that it was "helping" out his waistline. Bryan was a very giving person and following his death he gave the gift of eye sight to someone he didn't know by being an eye donor.

Bryan will be deeply missed by his mother, Ferne Freitag of Bowman, ND; brothers and sisters-in law, Bill and Betty Freitag of Dickinson, ND and Blane & Jackie Freitag of Bowman, ND; sisters and brother-in-law, Twyla & Tom Burke of Bowman, ND, Terri & Chuck Whitney of Bowman, ND; nephews: Earl (Theresa) Shear, Donny (Caryn), Matt(Kasey), Mike(Darcy), John (Amy), and Thomas Burke, Chad & Brent Whitney, and Dustin & Daniel Freitag; nieces: Suzy Shear, Jenn Whitney and Sarah Freitag; great nieces and nephews, Timmy Evans, Kellee, Alexius, Alicia & Steven Shear, Kassidy Vine, Brooklyn & Mikayla Shear, Grady, Emily, Avery, Caden, Claire, Hudson and Gabriel Burke. Numerous cousins, aunts and uncles survive.

Bryan was preceded in death by his father, Donald Freitag; grandparents Max & Anna (Hoth) Freitag and
Walt & Ellen (Gross) Bagley.