1. Paul Fretheim Obituary

Paul Jonathan Martin Fretheim was born in Rochelle, Illinois on January 25, 1951, to Rev. Paul and Winifred (Stille) Fretheim. He was welcomed by his sister, Priscilla. Paul was baptized and confirmed by his father in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The family moved to rural Osseo, Wisconsin, where he attended country school.

In 1960 they moved to Frankfort, Michigan. Paul enjoyed Cub Scouts, swimming in the lakes, and learning to ski. The family spent every June on camping trips to the West where he learned to love mountain country. Paul graduated from high school in 1969. That August he and friends attended Woodstock. Paul began college at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During the turbulent 70’s he lived off the grid driving his VW bus while working as a mechanic in Colorado and eventually settling in rural Arlee, Montana, where he built a cabin and raised beautiful strawberries. His parents joined him there in 1978. They enabled him to finish his college degree at the University of Montana at Missoula.

In 1983 Paul practice-taught at Whidbey Island, Washington, and then began a thirteen-year career in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle as a 3rd and 4th grade teacher of gifted students. He loved his students and especially enjoyed taking them on field trips to the area of Death Valley National Park. That is when he became acquainted with Independence. While in Washington he earned a Master’s degree in computer education and operated a programming business. Paul loved traveling. Among his trips were one to St. Petersburg, Russia, and a hiking expedition to the Karakoram Mountain Range in Pakistan. He also visited his family and friends in the Midwest.

In 1998 he moved to Montana to be with his mother while she had cancer treatment. They soon bought a home in Independence, California, where Paul continued to live for 25 years. In the community; he had been on the Eastern Sierra Museum board, a previous member of the Lions Club, and a volunteer at Manzanar. Paul was a former member of the Sierra Club.

Paul loved nature and photography and made CDs of national parks. When camera phones became available, that business ended.

His next venture was East Side Shuttle, a service to hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. He enjoyed meeting interesting people from all over American and the world. He loved his home in Independence. In recent years he developed a number of health issues that made his life difficult. His family greatly appreciates the help given him by Inyo County Health and Human Services and his recent caregiver, Adrianna Baxter.

Paul lost his life October 18, 2025, in a highway collision. Burial will be at a later date. Arrangements were made by Brune Mortuary. Paul is survived by his sister, Priscilla (Douglas) Jacobson; his nieces, Sonja Jacobson, and Cindy Manthey, and their children; several cousins, and many friends. Memorials may be given to the Eastern California Museum.