FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM)- The mother of an American hiker who died when an avalanche swept down Mount Everest following this weekend’s earthquake in Nepal released a statement Monday (April 27) saying he was an “active, curious, brilliant son who knew no limits.”
Google executive Dan Fredinburg, 33, was born and raised in Jordan, Arkansas. He graduated from the Arkansas School of Math, Science and Art in Hot Springs in 1999, before moving on with his career. By 2007, Fredinburg was at Google, working with a team on “Google Adventure,” which is a program that works to map extreme locations for users.
His mother, Debbi Willis, and younger sister, Megan, live in the Fayetteville area. Willis released the following statement to 5NEWS:
“Really I was blessed with an active, curious, brilliant son who knew no limits.
Daniel loved staying busy and Google offered him the avenue to rise and shine. Dan wanted the world to be happy. He was kind of a clown sometimes and you couldn’t help but laugh right along with him.
He touched many lives and all for the great good. He found an orphanage in Nepal, and when he found out those children had never had pizza, he threw them a pizza party. He got them sunglasses and made them all feel special.
My favorite story of Dan? There are just too many of them! Dan just wanted the world to be happy, give to others and to have no regrets. He will be missed by so many.”
Fredinburg was climbing Mount Everest with a group when the avalanche hit Saturday (April 25). Video shot by another hiker shows the ground shaking and a massive wall of snow and ice hit their camp. According to CNN, at least 17 people have been killed, with dozens injured and several missing on the world’s tallest peak. Nearly 4,000 others have died in Nepal, India, China and Tibet after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the region.
Fredinburg’s sister, Megan, shared the news of his death on Instagram. Her note states that Fredinburg suffered a major head injury during the avalanche and didn’t make it. The rest of the note is included below:
“We appreciate all of the love that has been sen our way thus far and know his soul and spirit will live on in so many of us. All our love and thanks to those who shared this life with our favorite, hilarious, strong-willed man. He was and is everything to us. Thank you.”
