Friede Wells

Friede Wells Friede Wells was born Friedegunde Odalgard Schmidt in 1934 to Helfriede and Friedrich Schmidt in Germany. She was one of 7 children. Her mother was a medical doctor and her father was a teacher. As a young child, she was uprooted from her hometown of Bernburg during World War II, and forced to travel by foot and jumping trains from East Germany to West Germany with only her mother and young siblings. Once reaching West Germany, they settled in Osnabruck, where her grandparents owned a prominent historic pharmacy, destroyed by bombs during the war, but rebuilt to its former beauty afterwards. She grew up in this idyllic setting on a farm, growing their own food. Her mother supporting the family by practicing medicine, while also raising her seven children. Friede studied veterinary medicine, while the rest of her siblings studied other forms of medicine, becoming doctors and pharmacists. Her family always stressed healthy eating and exercise, and she carried these values throughout her life. She moved to the United States after veterinary school, to live with her sister Ute, a psychiatrist in Encinitas CA. She helped her sister take care of the children, but was encouraged to get a job as a veterinarian by her brother in law, so as not to squander her education. She took a job in Pennsylvania, and in Ohio, working for various veterinarians, until she answered an ad in a veterinary journal to come to Oklahoma to work with James Randell Wells, who was just starting his veterinary practice in Achille Oklahoma. This led eventually to marriage, 3 children, and a move to Durant Oklahoma to open a veterinary practice in 1966 called The Bryan County Animal Hospital. Friede worked tirelessly to raise her 3 children, Ingrid, Karin, and Billy, while growing a thriving veterinary practice. She saw small and large animals, responded to emergencies, became widely known as a compassionate and caring veterinarian. Over the years, Friede moved the location of her practice in the 1980s to where it is now on Highway 69, and eventually had 5 veterinarians working there, including her son Billy Wells. She instilled her love of science and values of hard work onto her children, who all studied some form of science and medicine. Friede worked full time, seven days a week, until her death at age 88. She was much loved by her family which includes her six brothers and sisters, three children, eleven grandchildren, five great grand children. She was also much loved by her friends, employees, clients who span two states. She was a dedicated and talented veterinarian, living her life in service to all creatures great and small. She touched many lives, and will not soon be forgotten. A Celebration of her life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, September 5, 2022, at the Calera High School Gymnasium. Services will be livestreamed on the Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home Facebook page. Services are under the direction of Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home 121 North 5th Street, Durant, Oklahoma 74701. www.holmescoffeymurray.com In lieu of flowers or food, the family is asking for donations to the Dr. Friede Wells memorial fund at First United Bank. It will be used to care for the needy animals and strays in the community. "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans." James Herriot