John Fridlington, chief executive officer of the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors, died Jan. 7, 2024 following treatment for bladder cancer. (Courtesy of SPAAR)

John Fridlington came to the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors in 2015 with almost 40 years of professional experience under his belt, none of it as a Realtor. Instead, he started as an attorney in the legal department of the California Association of Realtors, and served as chief executive officer of associations in Florida and Massachusetts before assuming the lead role in the Maplewood-based organization.

Fridlington, who had been undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, said goodbye on Friday to co-workers, who expected to see him again this week. He died on Sunday.

“He was in the office all last week, even on Friday, and then unfortunately declined over the weekend,” said Brianne Lawrence, the 2023 president of St. Paul Area Association of Realtors. “It is very sudden.”

Lawrence recalled Fridlington’s service on boards and foundations, including the National Association of Realtors’ finance committee, executive committee and board of directors. She called his legal perspective enormously helpful to the organization. In 2007, he was inducted into the Realtors Political Action Committee Hall of Fame.

Fridlington received his bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Under his leadership, SPAAR honed its reputation as a go-to source for statistical data and housing market information.

“His leadership style, he would empower his staff to make their own decisions,” Lawrence said. “You’d never know there was an issue because he handled it with such grace. Everybody is sad that they couldn’t tell him exactly what they felt about him, because he was such a respectful figure within our industry.”

“I just can’t convey enough of the dedication he had to our industry,” she added. “He had touched a lot of professional’s lives.”

In lieu of funeral arrangements, a celebration of life will be planned this spring at SPAAR headquarters in Maplewood.

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