08/18/2025
David (Dave) Dale Fryda, son of DJ and Becky was born December 8, 1971, in Tyndall, SD. He passed away August 13, 2025, of a heart attack at age 53.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 pm on Monday, August 18, 2025, at Springfield Community Bible Church, 1107 Wood Street, Springfield, SD, with Pastor Billy Minder officiating. Cookies, bars, and coffee will be served following at the church. Later that afternoon, please join us at Norm's, where we will continue sharing our memories of Dave, starting around 4:00 pm. We will announce service details in Riverdale, North Dakota, in the next few days.
Son of the prairie. Steward of the water. Husband, mentor, and man of integrity. Dave Fryda didn’t rush through life. He moved with purpose.
Dave grew up in Springfield, where the Missouri River was more than a backdrop; it was a teacher. Dave learned early how to read the water, how to listen to the wind, and how to throw a net with care. The river taught him patience, grit, and how to listen, skills he carried into every chapter of his life.
He was an Eagle Scout, and he lived by the code long after the badge was earned. Dave led with quiet strength, served with humility, and always left things better than he found them.
In 1994, Dave graduated from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. His early career took him west, working with white sturgeon and burbot in Idaho and British Columbia. But the prairie called him home. In 1996, he joined the South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Brookings, studying benthic fishes of the Missouri River. He earned his Master’s Degree in Fisheries Sciences in 2000, focusing on fish community and habitat assessment of the White River.
That same year, Dave began his long and influential tenure with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. He started as a Fisheries Biologist in the North Central Fisheries District, stationed in Riverdale. In 2007, he was promoted to Missouri River System Supervisor, where he managed one of the most complex and diverse fisheries systems in the country. In 2023, Dave became the North Central District Fisheries Supervisor. Just this year, he proudly surpassed 25 years of service to the State of North Dakota.
Dave’s work was never just about fish; it was about stewardship. He served as North Dakota’s delegate to the Missouri River Natural Resource Committee, working alongside other states to protect and manage the river’s resources. He was a longtime member of the American Fisheries Society, serving as Vice-President of the Dakota Chapter in 2023 and as its President in 2025.
He was a mentor, a protector, and a fierce advocate for his team. Dave took pride in seeing his seasonal employees grow into full-time professionals. He didn’t just teach them science, he taught them the heart behind it.
Dave currently also serves as Vice President of the Riverdale City Council, where knowledge of the community’s history, its outdoor heritage, and genuine leadership made him an invaluable voice.
On February 7, 2018, Dave married Brenda Beran at the Lili'uokalani Botanical Garden in Honolulu, Hawaii. God’s miracle and their story would now and finally begin.
Dave had a way of marking time that didn’t need a calendar. In the Spring… tackle box out, in the Fall it was the old Model 50 Wi******er with his co-pilot by his side. Limit reached. Gun cleaned. Memory honored.
He is survived by those who loved him deeply and carry his stories forward. His legacy lives in the water he protected, the people he mentored, and the quiet rituals that made him who he was.
Dave leaves behind his wife and Czech Bride, Brenda of Riverdale, North Dakota; mother, Becky Fryda, Springfield, South Dakota; sister, Lisa (Scott) Rostek, Denver, Colorado; and mother & father-In-Law, Darrell & Ann Beran of Tabor, South Dakota.
He was preceded in death by his father, Dale (DJ) Fryda; uncles, Gregory and Paul Fryda; maternal and paternal grandparents, Dale and Elaine Fryda, Sanford and Leona Pechous; and Ava Grace, Brenda’s daughter, whom he cherished as his own.
