Lee Joseph Friend, MD, 75, of Valentine died on Saturday, November 26th, 2022 at Hilltop Estates in Gothenburg.

Lee was born to Lester and Hope (Joseph) Friend in Omaha on January 1, 1947. He attended Lincoln Southeast High School and graduated with the class of 1965. In 1970 Lee graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a proud member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. In 1971 he enlisted in the United States Air Force Medical Education Program for Reserve Officers. In 1972 Lee married Carol Peters. They had two children. Lee received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1975. Dr. Friend completed a family practice residency program at Scott AFB, Illinois. He was also stationed at Luke AFB in Arizona and Whiteman AFB in Missouri before being honorably discharged in 1984.

Lee and his family moved to Ephrata, Washington, where he started a private family practice clinic. After a divorce in 1987, Dr. Friend participated in family and emergency medicine practices in Fosston, Minnesota; Portales, New Mexico; and several west-Texas locations. Lee retired, and he and his future wife Brandy Keeling spent a year-of-service in the Caribbean. Lee and Brandy were married in 2011 after they returned to the US. The Friends moved to Topeka, Kansas and finally settled in Valentine, Nebraska.

Dr. Friend was an accomplished pilot, who enjoyed flying his single-engine airplane. He loved to travel, especially to the Caribbean. He was an enthusiastic woodworker and loved making toys for his grandchildren. He also liked gardening and animals, and was a lifelong Husker football fan.

Lee Friend, MD, is survived by his wife Brandy Friend of Valentine, daughter Nikki Friend of Kearney, NE; son Tim (Crystal) Friend of Overland Park, KS; and his grandchildren Casey, Luke, and Claire Friend. Lee is also survived by Brandy’s children Amanda Keeling, Kristin Tucker-Seiler and Brenton Tucker; and Brandy’s four grandchildren.

Lee was preceded in death by his parents and the mother of his children.

There will be a private celebration of Dr. Friend's life at a later date.