Freda was born in Good Thunder, Minnesota, one of four children and the only daughter of Edward E. and Amelia Gerky Guderian. She had a twin brother, Fred, who was also musically talented. They attended the first church school established in Minnesota, taught by F. A. Detamore, and sometime in their early years moved with their parents to Saskatchewan, Canada. Freda then moved to College Place, Washington, where she lived with an aunt, Ottillie Guderian Getzlaff, while finishing high school.

Freda enrolled at Walla Walla College in 1913 and studied there until 1917. During those years she gained a reputation as a talented soprano and was often featured as a soloist in college programs. She enjoyed giving Bible studies and assisting in evangelism and sang with her twin brother on occasion.

She traveled to Canada in her late 20s and taught music for three years at Canadian Junior College before returning to College Place, where she earned a music diploma at Walla Walla College in 1930. She then assisted WWC choir director Lon Metcalfe by teaching voice lessons for a year. In subsequent years she served as a Bible worker and music teacher in several cities in Washington state, assisting her brother, who was in the ministry, until his death in 1939, at age 48.

Guderian settled in the Walla Walla area, where she ran several boarding houses, continued to sing, and taught music lessons. She was residing there when she died at age 91.

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