Don Lee Friemel

Don Lee Friemel, known to most as Whipper, was born on September 16, 1944, in Amarillo, Texas, and raised in Groom. He passed away on March 11, 2026, at the age of 81. The son of Ted and Mary Lee Nelson Friemel of Groom, he later became the son-in-law of Alvin and Fran Lewis of Panhandle and Claude.

Whipper met Anne Lewis in 1968 while she worked at the swimming pool in Groom. They married on December 20, 1969, and shared 56 years together. At Anne’s encouragement, he graduated from Texas Tech University in 1973 with a B.S. in Agricultural Education. He taught agriculture at Claude High School and served as a welding instructor at TSTI in Highland Park before returning to farming. He cultivated roughly 13,630 acres of hard red winter wheat across Armstrong, Carson, and Randall counties. He proudly wore his Texas Tech ring and wedding ring until the end of his life.

Don and Anne raised three children: Casey, Landi, and Evan. He was PawPaw to many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including those from Casey and Bart Mizer’s family—Dr. Adin and Jaycee Mizer and their daughter Sloane of Fort Worth; Jaxon and Alyssa Mizer and their children Hudson and Saige of Amarillo; Zadee and Jaxon McAden of Fort Worth; and Jett and Karissa Mizer of Amarillo—as well as Landi Friemel’s family, Laney and Grayson Davis of Panhandle and Maizey Whitefield of Granbury, and Evan Friemel and his fiancée Jamie Craig of Claude.

He is survived by his wife Anne, his siblings Shirley Bayless, Kenneth and Judy Friemel, Tom and Dianna Weller, and sister-in-law Judy Jennings, along with many nieces, nephews, and extended family. Preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law, a nephew, and many school friends, Whipper found his greatest joy in helping others. A man of few words but many tall tales, he was known for his ability to fix anything, his love of the Colorado mountains and trout fishing, and his steadfast belief in hard work, integrity, and putting family first. He lived by the principle that when someone needs help, they need your hands, not your questions.