JOSEPH FREEMAN

Joe Freeman was an exceptionally creative, fun, and funny person who brought joy to so many lives. He was also a faithful person and always ended his messages and cards with “God Bless.” After a long full life on Earth, we imagine that he is still being creative, fun, and funny. 

Joseph Roland Freeman was born during the 1930 depression on September 24^th to Arthur and Ethel (Bins) Freeman in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He passed away unexpectedly on February 10, 2021 at the age of 90. Joe graduated from Green Bay West High School and during his high school years, you could often find him building a carburetor in the garage that he determined would use less fuel and save on gas. Later after graduating from Carroll College, you could find him refurbishing and driving antique cars, among them a Pierce Arrow and a La Salle. He often drove the Pierce Arrow to his ongoing classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Joe went on to serve in the Army and later to partner in the Freeman Paper Company with his brother Ralph. When they sold the paper company, Joe decided to try the Real Estate business, where he worked successfully for many years. 

Although Joe never married, he left wonderful memories for his many nieces and nephews, and foster nieces and nephews like…driving up, unexpectedly, in his red convertible and taking them out for ice cream, creating funny poems and stories for them, singing along with their songs and playing their games, saving all of the letters and pictures that they had sent to him, always bringing special Andes Mints when he gathered with them for the holidays, and always being “fashionably late” at holiday dinners. He was a “super cool” uncle!

When he retired, Joe became very active in ballroom dance groups in the Fox River Valley and took pride in the production of his newsletter, “Joe's Social Calendar.” The calendar announced a wide variety of events and dances in the Fox River Valley and across the state. His dance groups were very important to him and he made many, many “dance friends!”

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, a sister Doris Freeman, and a brother Arthur Freeman. He is survived by his sister Rosemary (Freeman) Lehman and his brother Ralph Freeman, many nieces and nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews. He was a godfather to Sandra (Lehman) Foss and Jennifer (Freeman) Timm.

As a member of Alliance Church in Appleton, Joe enjoyed regularly attending their services. Alliance church will be assisting the family in preparing the service and the burial which will take place at a later date, due to COVID. In lieu of flowers, tax deductible donations can be mailed to Wisconsin Veterans Village Association, 2919 W. Glenpark Dr., Suite 500, Appleton, WI 54914 or provided through the website: www.WisVVA.org