Stuart Friebert Death | Passed Away | Obituary
Stuart Friebert Death – Dead: A great loss was made known to InsideEko. As friends and families of the deceased are mourning the passing of their loved and cherished Stuart Friebert.
A poem by Stuart Friebert, an amazing person and mentor, who just passed to the other side. This poem makes me remember his compassion and unique energy. I did not know him well, but I think he gave of himself deeply, and so impressed me deeply
My dear professor Stuart Friebert at Oberlin College, founder of the Creative Writing department there, passed away last Tuesday. I adored him. He lit up my life. His big arms waving with enthusiasm, and his bright eyes picking up every nuance. He was brilliant yet humble, and a believer in the ingenuity and importance of creativity. I loved him. And I love his wife, Diane Vreuls Friebert. They both taught me so much about writing, re-writing and caring about WORDS. The power in words as a religion in itself. Stuart and I shared my one pair of pink skeleton earrings. It was during my all-black punkish phase, but I had this one bit of color he admired. I gave him one, and he put it on his special shelf in his office, wrote a poem about it, and kept it for years. It represented this great mutual admiration we had for each other’s innate enthusiasm for life, a kind of force that I will carry on. I loved you, Stuart, may you not rest, but continue to teach, inspire and reach more writers and students, as you reached me, and will reach others through the words I write and the way I teach, inspired by you.
I mourn the recent loss of my beloved teacher and mentor at Oberlin, Stuart Friebert. Stuart taught us to live like writers, devoted unabashedly to the word and to each other. He held us in his enormous embrace (more like a wingspan), and let us know that we were precious apprentices in the creation of a vital, world-wide mosaic of poems. I can still see his oversized cursive “YES!” or, “WELL, NO….” on my poems. Stuart cleared for us a place where we could openly love language (he allowed us to see him moved and blown away), seek nourishment (he was always lending books, pressing them into hands) and yes, toughen up. He supported our gleaning, and our quirkiness with his own abundance and enthusiasm and kid-like curiosity. In his care, I was sheltered, known, valued, and respected as a young artist, and as a young woman. Stuart believed in the the soul-sustaining practice of art. I learned more about teaching from him (and certainly from Diane Vreuls) than from anyone anywhere, and his spirit moves through me daily and, by way of my gratitude, into the lives of my own students, who are, too, his lucky apprentices. HIs memory is, indeed, a blessing.
Stuart Friebert died peacefully in his sleep at Hospice of the Western Reserve in the early morning of June 23rd, due to the after-effects of a fall.
He was born in Milwaukee and educated at the University of Wisconsin. After spending an undergraduate year in Germany as one of its first exchange students after World War II, he completed a Ph.D. in German Language and Literature and taught German at Mt. Holyoke, Harvard, and, finally, Oberlin College. Subsequently, his passion for writing and teaching poetry led to his establishing the Creative Writing Program at Oberlin and cofounding Field Magazine, the Field Translation Series, and Oberlin College Press.
With an avidity that only increased as he aged, Stuart wrote or translated every day, publishing in all fifteen books of poems, sixteen volumes of translations, and four of prose. Even after retirement, he was a mentor to many, who thank him for his careful criticism and the exuberant encouragement that fostered not only their development as writers and readers but also their growth of spirit. With his infectious curiosity, he delighted in the natural world; with his spontaneity and wacky humor, he delighted all who knew him,
A fiercely devoted father, soul-mate, and friend, he was unfailingly generous and loving. He is mourned by his wife, Diane Vreuls; his children, Sarah (Rita) and Stephen (Naomi); his adored grandchild, Kazu; his brother, Steve (Jane); his sister, Phyllis Levy (Mort); his brother-in-law, Don Vreuls (Peggy, deceased); his cousins, nieces, and nephews; and countless friends, some life-long, others only briefly-met, yet each taken deeply into his heart.
A teacher to the end, Stuart donated his body to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. We will hold a gathering to honor Stuart at a later date. Meanwhile, we remember, and are thankful.
My heart is a little bit broken because today I found out that my Creative Writing Teacher and Mentor at Oberlin College, Stuart Friebert, has died. I am sad to share this news with my fellow Obies, and I willingly share it with all of my friends to remind you to contact your aging friends and family and tell them how much they mean to you because life is always shorter than you think it is, even when you very well know it is short. But I think (I hope) Stuart knew how much he meant to me. He was someone who had a great influence on my life. He encouraged my passion for writing and encouraged my Romantic notions about my devotion to it as well. (For better and worse–ha!) He met my husband, my daughter, and when I taught at Oberlin College for two years, my grandma. He was very kind to all of them.I think he inspired all of us students to strive to be better writers and stronger and more compassionate readers of each other’s work. Along with my other great Oberlin teachers, his wife Diane Vreuls Friebert, his dear friend David Young, and his colleague and fellow alum David Walker, he inspired in me (in us) a deep love for poetry, drama, and fiction. Stuart was the co-founder of the Creative Writing department at Oberlin, and, along with David Young, the co-founder of Field magazine and the Field translation series. He was a prolific poet and translator. Many of his students have lost an important person in their life, his friends and family have lost a dear loved one, and the world has lost an important person in the world of teaching and literature. Dear Stuart, rest in peace, and may your memory be a blessing.
Remembering our beloved Stuart Friebert- RIP. Here, in his exuberant handwriting, Stuart wishes John and me the ‘Best of my Best’ — Stuart truly gave the best of his best to everyone lucky enough to meet him. I cherish memories of the Oberlin Creative Writing program with Stuart at the helm. He and Diane are inspirations to me in my writing life and life-life too. Mentor to so many, his big-hearted spirit shines on. Sending much love from John and WIll and me to Diane Vreuls Friebert.
Having heard about this great loss, the family of this individual is passing through pains, mourning the unexpected passing of their beloved.
This departure was confirmed through social media posts made by Twitter users who pour out tributes, and condolences to the family of the deceased.
We are still working on getting more details about the death, as family statement on the death is yet to be released.