SANIBEL, FL
Max L. Friedersdorf, 90, of Sanibel, Florida, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family at 7:30 a.m. on May 31, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after respiratory failure from a long-standing illness.
Mr. Friedersdorf was born in Grammar, Indiana, on July 7, 1929, the son of John L. and Lola (Fox)
Friedersdorf.
He was married for 67 years to his loving wife, Priscilla Marion (Jones) Friedersdorf.
After graduating from Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, Mr. Friedersdorf began his career as a
journalist, but quickly moved to Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of staff for Congressman Richard Roudebush.
Mr. Friedersdorf later worked in the White House as the lead congressional liaison and Assistant to the President in three administrations, serving under Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan. He served in other appointed positions as Chairman of the Federal Election Commission under President Jimmy Carter, Director of the Senate Policy Committee, Consul General to Bermuda, and Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.
He concluded his career as Vice President of Pepsico, and later a sports writer and columnist for the Sanibel Island Sun. He maintained his lifelong commitment to government service, volunteering for President Barack Obama.
Mr. Friedersdorf was an avid golfer and fascinated with the history and culture of the American
Southwest and American Indians. He loved animals, the ocean and nature in all its beauty.
He was a devoted husband to his wife and father to his two children, Kristine L. Wilkes, 64, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Fritz J. Friedersdorf, 59, of Charlottesville, Virginia, and to their spouses, James C. Wilkes and Lisa E. (Sperling) Friedersdorf.
He is survived by his brother, John Friedersdorf of Cicero, Indiana, his sisters Barbara Hamilton of Franklin, Indiana, and Betty Winslow of Leesburg, Florida, and his two grandchildren A. Max Friedersdorf and John P. Friedersdorf.
Mr. Friedersdorf recounted his White House experiences in the Ronald Reagan Oral History Project for the University of Virginia’s Miller Center and in the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Oral History Project. He was awarded advanced degrees from American University and Franklin College. He will be remembered for his keen intellect, his love of reading and his calm and measured judgment, but most of all for the kindness he showed every person he met in all walks of life.
There will not be any formal services. The family asks in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the American Indian College Fund or the charity of choice.
