Chatfield native Justin William Friedrich, 25, of Bellingham, WA, died Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in a car accident near Mount Vernon, WA.

Justin was born November 9, 1995, in Rochester, MN, to Tammy (Marshall) and Allen Friedrich and grew up in rural Chatfield. He attended Chatfield Public Schools, graduating in 2014, and participated in many extracurricular activities, including cross country, track and field, basketball and band. In 2018, Justin graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, with a degree in chemistry. While at Gustavus, he competed in track and field and cross country. Teammates and friends also knew him by his nicknames of Johnny Chatfield and Chatty, among many others.

For a summer between college years, Justin worked at his cousin's organic farm near Mount Vernon and developed a love of agriculture and of the Pacific Northwest, especially the Cascade Mountains. After graduating from college, he moved to Bellingham and worked on area farms. At the time of his death, he was working at Viva Farms, a Burlington, WA, nonprofit organization that provides aspiring organic farmers the necessary resources and support to build successful farm businesses. His official title was Assistant Farm Manager, but depending on the day, Justin liked to adjust his title to suit the task at hand — "Pre-Apprentice Electrician" and "Adjunct Carpenter" were favorites. Farmers knew him as a jack-of-all-trades who was always happy to help with whatever they needed.

Although his years were short, Justin packed a lot into life. He studied for a semester in England, which sparked his love of travel. Justin loved the outdoors and left his footprints running and hiking on many mountain trails. He especially loved snowboarding and skiing on Mount Baker in the Cascades. In the past 2 ½ years he and his girlfriend, Amanda, went to countless concerts and enjoyed working on his van in preparation for many more travel adventures.

Justin had an infectiously enthusiastic personality that included a wry sense of humor and the trademark Justin Friedrich smile. His open-mindedness and go-with-the-flow attitude made everyone feel welcome.

Justin is survived by his parents, Tammy and Allen, of Chatfield; his maternal grandfather, Terry Rosengren, of Atlanta, GA; a sister and brother, Hannah and Noah, both of Chatfield; great-aunt and uncle Betty and Donald Friedrich of Rochester; aunts and uncles, Faye and Arthur Friedrich of Rochester, Karen and Chris Frye of Mount Vernon, and Dawn and Mark Ratgen of Rochester; cousins Amy (Jacob Slosberg) Frye of Mount Vernon, Adam (Ladia Albertson-Junkans) Frye of Snoqualmie, WA, and Emma Ratgen of Rochester; and girlfriend Amanda Bennett of Bellingham.

A celebration of life memorial was held in Mount Vernon Saturday, March 20, 2021, and attended by Justin's immediate family and Washington relatives and friends, including many farmer friends and co-workers.

In Minnesota, visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday, March 25, 2021 in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home in Rochester, MN with the funeral at 1 p.m. Friday, March 26, 2021 at Chatfield Lutheran Church. Justin has been cremated, and his ashes will be spread at Mount Baker at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the National Park Conservation Association ( www.npca.org ).

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com .