Generous giver of his time
and resources. Studied follower of Jesus.
Brilliant thinker. Reliable,
honest man. Hard-worker. Defender of truth.
Engaging teacher. Always left things better than how he had
found them.
Encourager of hurting people. A student's best friend...
Arthur F. Freeman, Jr. (1917 - 2009) passed into eternity a mere
33 days after his beloved Katherine went to heaven -- after 65
years of marriage. (Feel free
to read her tribute once you are
finished with Arthur's.)
Arthur was raised in the Boston,
Massachusetts region, the only child of Arthur and Vera Freeman.
His parents wanted at least six children, but due to
complications at his birth Vera could have no more.
As the only son, dad grew up in an "adult" atmosphere, with
responsibilities for taking care of his ailing mother. Early on he
felt the desire to be a minister of the gospel. As a youngster
he used to practice baptizing his friends in a nearby pond and
performing practice funerals for his friend's dead pets. In
the 12th Grade he felt a desire to be a teacher. He experienced
the fulfillment of both vocations in his lifetime.
At 14 years of
age,
dad accepted Jesus as his personal Savior (Nov
1931), as a result of a revival meeting at his church in North
Abingdon. Dad had said, "I had been raised in a Christian home
by godly parents, but after this encounter with Jesus there was
a definite newness in my life and I felt I was a new creature in
Christ." Dad was baptized one month later (Dec, 1931).
Arthur worked for one of the first owners of Howard Johnson's
Restaurant franchises in the mid-1930s. The gentleman who hired
him was so impressed with his work ethic and excellent customer
service that he offered Arthur
the opportunity to go into business with him to open up other
franchise opportunities in Massachusetts. A very tempting,
lucrative offer,
with long-range career implications.
|
Arthur F. Freeman, 1942
Graduate of Gordon College
REVIEW
Arthur's Photo Gallery |
But Arthur still had his sights on higher things. He wanted to become
a pastor. He was an alternate choice to become a Rhodes
scholar to study at Oxford (UK), but the primary choice was
able to take advantage of this great honor. He enrolled in
Gordon College, Wenham, MA. He jumped in with great passion
studying the Scriptures and developing a solidly conservative,
Biblically-based
theological stance.
Arthur
The principal. The teacher. |
During his time at Gordon College, Katherine
Schroeder caught Arthur's eye. One day he walked down to
the laundry and sure enough, she just so happened to be
at the laundry doing her clothes. He brought a bar of
"Sweetheart" soap for her and
asked for a date. She consented. This was an incredible coup,
because there were many young men at Gordon who would
have loved to date Katherine. He went on to become the senior
class president and she was voted the college sweetheart. The stuff
of fairy tales.
Long story short, Arthur and beautiful Katherine were married in a small ceremony in
Boston on a cold day on January 30th, 1944. (Katherine kept the
bar of "Sweetheart' soap the rest of her life. We
found it recently in her sock drawer.)
Arthur became the pastor of a church in Gloucester. It was quite
a theologically liberal congregation, but he preached the uncompromising
gospel. The church couldn't afford to pay much, but a local
fisherman made sure that they had a continual supply of
fresh fish. It was an older congregation. In two years he performed
over one hundred funerals of congregational members and the
community at large. This took quite a toll on him. This was not what he had envisioned when
he went into the ministry. Dad said, "This persuaded me to pursue
teaching young people rather than burying their elders." Arthur, Katherine and their
new child, Nancy (born 1946) moved to Minnesota.
He never lost his heart for ministry. Nancy remembers that when she was
five to six years old, the family lived in Minneapolis, and
Arthur would
take her to the skid row street mission with him. Several times
a month, he would take his Bell and Howell movie projector and
show Christian movies to the men at the city mission.
The movie projector was Arthur's alternative to television. He
could borrow movies for free and would show them in churches,
halls, etc. He loved slapstick comedy would laugh heartily. His favorites were
Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. When Arthur was
principal at Litchfield Academy, there were many Saturdays that
the young people would gather in his classroom to watch movies
that he would show.
Stephen was born in 1951 in Minnesota and then
the family moved to Litchfield (ME), where Joel was born in
1954. It was during the years in Litchfield that a stirring was
renewed in Arthur's heart for Christian education. After three
years in Litchfield, the Freeman family moved to Bridgeton (NJ)
where Arthur took over a teaching principalship position at
Bridgeton Christian School.
While reading the "Prairie Overcomer" in 1959
(Bridgeton, NJ), the Holy Spirit impressed upon his heart to
answer an ad requesting a high school teacher for the Prairie
High School. In a matter of months he was accepted, and we made
the momentous move to Alberta, Canada. Beth was born in 1960.
He was very loved by students and staff at Prairie High
School. He became principal in 1960, providing leadership
for the training of thousands of students and personally taught
hundreds of students. Many of those students have since said,
"As I look back on all of my teachers, Mr. Freeman was one of
the most memorable. He was tough and expected a lot from us, but
he was always fair."
Here are some more recent example from some of his former
students:
"Your
dad was in my top two favorite teachers and I give
thanks to God for a life well-lived and a legacy that
will long outlast him...Mr.
Freeman was a GREAT teacher! Tough at times, but one of
the few who treated us like adults. I owe him a lot. He
was one teacher that I felt 'seen' by him...He was my
absolute favourite teacher at Prairie....and yes,
getting to his class was big, no longer immature kids
like we were in the Grade 6 class!! We had arrived!" |
Here is a well-written (and funny)
description written of him by one of his students:
|
He remains vividly etched in my memory; a classic...alone among many
good teachers.
He had a stocky build of a retired football payer.
His open, jovial face reflected an ongoing love
affair with living. A mane of flowing, grey hair
was swept behind his ears. Tinted wire rims
straddled a bulbous nose under which a shadowy
moustache protruded. Turtleneck sweaters replaced
the traditional shirt and tie.
We, as his students, were assured of his love. He
cared enough to challenge us. He preached the
gospel of personal responsibility. Repeatedly he
thundered, “Abuse a privilege, lose a privilege.”
Although his homework load was staggering, he
expected and received our best. He was bent on
mind expansion and took a special delight in
stretching our narrow horizons to include
unexplored frontiers. We soon shared his obsession
for social studies and current events.
He cared enough to confront us. It was 2:00 on a
long Friday afternoon. Outside heat waves
shimmered over the parched ground. He was at the
board laboriously copying out class notes in his
flourishing left hand scrawl. The pupils were
silent except for Jim. At first he ignored the
distraction. For a while he tolerated it. Finally,
he exploded. Slashing the air with an accusing
forefinger he yelled, “Jim, when do you ever shut
up?” His face was ripe-tomato red. The throbbing
veins of his forehead jutted out like ribs of a
starving cow.
A pregnant hush fell over the class at this
uncharacteristic temper flash. All eyes were
riveted on him. Slowly the taut facial muscles
relaxed and his scowl vanished. He murmured, “I’ll
bet you even talk in your sleep!” The class,
including Jim, joined in hearty laughter.
He taught me a lot. Thanks, Mr. Freeman
|
|
Stephen Rendall, another student wrote of his
experiences with his teacher. Click
here for his hilarious and poignant view of Arthur Freeman. Another window will
open on your computer.
The one thing that I remember about Dad is his strong desire
for all of his children to have a Christian education.
He withstood some extended family members and friends who
pressured him otherwise, because he wanted us to have a
Christian foundation for our lives. Today, his
children are all the product of that conviction in his life.
Arthur was a well-read man. There weren't many topics you could
discuss, about which he didn't have some kind of knowledge. As a
younger man his library was quite large, with many theological
books and also other books covering a wide range of topics...including
sports!
As a young man Arthur had cultivated a great love for the Boston Red Sox
that continued throughout his entire life. Every year he would
say, "Always a bride's maid, never the bride." No one was more
ecstatic than he when the Red Sox broke that 86-year-old "curse"
in 2004 by winning the World Series.
|
In Vancouver he fell in love with the Vancouver Canadians (AAA
farm team for the Oakland Athletics). It was fun watching him
fill in the score card as each player came to bat. He (Opa) and
James (grandson) used to go to as many games as possible,
especially when James was younger.
Saying goodbye is always bitter sweet. We all have our ways.
In later years Arthur had a distinct way of ending a phone call
or a visit. If you visited Arthur or spoke with him on the
phone, you know exactly what I am talking about. He would always
say, "May God bless and KEEP you." -- with special emphasis on
the word "keep." |
i
May God
Bless and
Keep You
i |
|
He was a great lover of the
history and the purpose of the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther's
role in it. "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
(written and composed by Luther) was one of Arthur's favorite
songs. He loved listening to a resounding
orchestral piece, with regal organ music and a majestic choir.
Played loudly and it would give you goose bumps. Feel free to take the time to ponder the
words to the song (below).
In his later years, Arthur volunteered his time for the last
two years of L. E. Maxwell's life. He took him to doctor's
appointments in Calgary and stayed with him for hours on
end. They reminisced about a lot of things, but spent most
of their time talking about the Scriptures and the Lord.
One afternoon while
visiting him a few years back I asked the question, "What
has surprised you the most in your life?" He thought for a
moment and then responded, " God's graciousness to us as a
family." That says it all.
"I have fought the good
fight, and have finished the race. I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will award to me on
that day -- and not only to me,
but also to all who have
longed for His appearing."
-- 2 Timothy 4:7
Generational Legacy: What a godly heritage we have
through both sets of grandparents -- dad's (Freeman's and
Taylor's) and mom's (Peters' and Schroeder's)! Dad's
grandfather (Robie Freeman), was a deacon in his church.
Dad's father (Arthur, Sr.) was also a deacon in the church,
singing baritone in a gospel quartet. Dad credited his
parents and godly grandparents (Taylors) who lived with them
during their elderly years, as instilling in him a love for
God's Word and spiritual things. Nancy, Steve, Joel and Beth
pledge to continue the legacy...
|
Here's what
Beth wrote on March 20th: "Some sad and yet so
sweet news to share with you all. Dad left us to
be with Jesus yesterday at 7:20 (PST). It’s been
expected as his 3rd bout of pneumonia
was not responding to treatment – it had even
started to grow as family was in town for Moms
memorial, but Dad was able to have several
wonderful days of sitting up in a wheelchair (even
walking “laps” on the parallel bars with a
physiotherapist), fully engaged in conversation,
smiling/laughing, sucking back delicious
milkshakes with gratifying superlatives after each
swallow and giving us all wonderful
memories. After family left town he had a few good
days, but then the pneumonia started to show it’s
growth again as the doctor predicted. Dad was able
to listen to the audio version of Mom's memorial
service yesterday and his response showed that he
understood and appreciated who and what he was
hearing. There’s a lot more that could be said –
it’s been quite a week and I know with a certainty
that we have been held together by many faithful
prayers and much love! Dad has labored with
breathing the last several days especially and
hasn’t been able to swallow any food since Tuesday
evening. His communication attempts have been
difficult to understand. Dad responded to me
early this afternoon though with a squeeze at what
I had said to him and when I asked “was that for
me Dad?” he squeezed a 2nd time.
|
Dad’s actual
passing into eternity (by Beth) – I had come home for what
was supposed to be an hour, but my planned dinner
of soup from Marlene was still frozen solid so
plan B was quickly cobbled together although James
and I were not going to get there as soon as we’d
planned. Sutha and Varsha wanted to say goodbye
to Opa so we picked them up on the way and arrived
to see Bob Kirk already there – he also knew that
Dad was in his last days, possibly last hours.
Bob, James and Sutha each had some alone time with
Opa and we all spent time together around his
bed. A couple nurses came in to change his
position and suction some secretions from Dad’s
mouth (I’d not seen these secretions before so
knew this was something new). The position
change no doubt did something internally as was
the case when Mom left us – at this point both
their bodies had so much fluid as organ shut down
was in process. When we went back into the room
James went to speak to Dad and noticed his eyes
were open a bit so I went so speak to him and then
some physical signs of closing breaths began to
happen and I ushered Dad into heaven with our
blessing and much love. Dad's offspring spoke to
him today so we all had the opportunity to usher
him into God’s presence and the awaiting party! |
|
|
A MIGHTY
FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
A mighty
fortress is our God, a bulwark never
failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of
mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to
work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and,
armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our
own strength confide, our striving
would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ
Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to
age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though
this world, with devils filled, should
threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we
tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his
doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That Word
above all earthly powers, no thanks to
them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal
life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth
abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
|
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Vignettes (verbal snapshots) of Arthur:
-
Dad tearing articles out of the newspaper with
his famous metal ruler, utilizing two rips per line -- a quick
starter and a long finisher. He would sit at the kitchen table
late into the evening with recent newspapers and magazines in
a pile, while he tore out current event
articles that would end up on the bulletin board in his Social
Studies classroom early the next morning. Students would get a
short quiz on what they had read that morning before class.
-
Dad's mindless whistling, warbling bird-like
in nature, hitting every high note in between...always a half
beat faster than normal tempo.
-
His famous question every evening after dinner, "Any cookies,
cakes or pie?"
-
If Dad was frustrated over something, he would say, "Oh piffle"
-- the closest he ever came to cussing.
-
Listening to the White Sisters, George Bevery Shea, Men of Song,
Ambassador Quartet and others on the Sears Silvertone HiFi.
-
Handing out "Have A Nice Day" tracts to anyone he came in
contact with.
-
Dad grading papers while nibbling on smelly blue cheese and
crackers.
|
-
A special impromptu dad moment for Joel: Getting a
fisherman's knife from dad. It wasn't Christmas and it wasn't my
birthday. It was a "just because" gift. It was purchased from the Smiling Cow shop, Boothbay
Harbor (ME). I loved that knife.
-
A special moment for Steve: Getting tonsils out (age 11).
Fainting after the operation. Upon regaining consciousness,
Steve found himself cradled lovingly and tenderly in
dad's arms.
-
Stirring up a Hires root beer concoction in the bathtub.
Bottling it. Placing a raisin in each bottle for extra oomph.
Freeman family assembly line at its best. Delectable brew! One
year PBI
President (Ted Rendall) received a bottle as a gift. To dad's
great
embarrassment (and to our perverse delight) the bottle exploded in his
pantry. Mr. Rendall had aged it too well. Bootleg root beer,
with raisin, had
proven to be too powerful a brew.
-
During the fierce Alberta winters, Dad was fond of adding the
"wind chill factor" to the already cold Canadian temperatures. Thus, a
-25º Fahrenheit thermometer reading, coupled with a 15 mph wind,
would bring the temperature down to an actual -51º Fahrenheit --
with a frostbite time of about 10 minutes! Today, the local
weathermen do the calculating for us. After Celsius came in
vogue in Canada, dad would remind us of the formula for changing
Fahrenheit to Celsius.
-
Dad loved animals and we always had pets ranging from a
parakeet and several hamsters to dogs and cats. Here are some of their names:
Peggy (Dad's family dog throughout his adolescence and young
adult years. Black mongrel cocker spaniel), Piney (wild Maine cat), Snooper (battling grey tabby cat that
ran away for greater adventure), Val (car-chaser), Terry
(terrier), Middie (crafty little human ankle biter), Gypsy
(German Shepard), Lady (one of Mr. Yule's terrific Irish
Setters), Tippy (border collie), Herky (little big man complex
-- terrier/Chihuahua mix), and finally...Sir Jeffrey (Beth's
semi-cat/semi-dog Shih Tzu). Sir Jeffrey was a great source of
joy and comfort to dad in his final years.
-
If terrible penmanship is a sign of intelligence, dad was a
stone-cold genius! His hand-writing was unintelligible. I mean, it
was atrocious!!! His signature had a big "A" and everything else looked like a bunch of orderly
scribbles. His typing wasn't much better. He learned
under the Sears H&P System (Hunt and Peck).
|
"Hey youse, I gots some cement
shoes. One size fits all."
Take Your Pick
1. this is Arthur's brief "gansta-wannabe" period.
2. he is on
his way to a Halloween Party dressed up as Al Capone.
(Where's the violin case?)
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Stephen Freeman's Memories ~
My father passed away one month after my mother's glorious
entry. If the Lord tarries my dear wife Pamela and I would like
to transcend similarly from this earth to the heavenly dimension
together as my dear parents did.
The
last few weeks I spent with my father are some of the most precious
memories I have. I was able to completely achieve a father son
wholeness that had been growing since the day I became a committed
Christian. You who lived at Prairie Bible Institute in the late 60's
remember that I was quite rebellious and was expelled from Prairie
High School in 1968 while my father was the principal of the school.
My father then felt compelled to resign from Prairie because of my
expulsion. Two years later when I had graduated from another high
school in the U.S., my parents returned to their cherished home at
Prairie. For many years my mother prayed for a complete healing
between dad and me "to restore the years that the locust had eaten"
(Joel
2:25). God, over the years, lovingly restored and knit us together in
love, Col. 2:2. The Lord completed the final 5% of the work in the
last 2 1/2 weeks I had the privilege of spending with my father
while he was in his hospital bed after my mothers passing.
My
heart yearns for the time when I can get to know my parents
fully in eternity. To go way beyond just being a son but to get
to know them as peers, friends-contemporary compadres. I look at
youthful pictures of my father and mother and I say to myself
there is a jaunty couple that I'd like to really get to know
better. Wow, the extreme possibilities of an eternity with no
night and a glorified perfect body surrounded by the presence of
an all loving, enabling Heavenly Father. The things of earth
grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. How
true! This is God's plan. As the welcoming committee of our dear
loved ones grows in heaven the more we long to be there.
Some of the fondest memories of my father involved dessert. We had
a food feud in our home. Mom was a health nut and dad was a
dessert fiend. We kids always clamored, I'm on dad's side spare
us the carrot, beat, and turnip juice with brewers yeast on the
side and pass us dad's root beer floats and chocolate cake. It
was mom's regimen though that allowed dad to enjoy many extra
years of desserts.
Beth lovingly prepared ice cream
milkshakes for dad in his last weeks as he was on a prescribed
thickened liquid diet. It was wonderful for us to watch dad
right up to his last days enjoying his delicious frozen ice
dream treat. |
L to R: Stephen Freeman, Nancy (Freeman) Brown,
Joel Freeman, Beth (Freeman) Hankinson -- 2007
[ His children honor his memory and legacy ] |
Beth secretly blended in some healthy "mom-like" goodies: avocado
(don't judge until you try it), yogurt and fruit. Beth (one in whom
there is no guile) had to tell dad after a few shakes what she was
doing. Dad responded in a half-serious manner, "Why did you have to
tell me that for? Are you trying to ruin this for me?"
Dad, a former English teacher, enthusiastically uttered some
stupendous superlatives after each long satisfying pull on the
straw. This gratifying reaction made it worth it all.
My favorite Prairie
memory was going to Pine Lake in the summer with dad and
enjoying the rustic but not too rough life. Being electric free,
we hauled our own water and coal and would wake up in the cool
mornings with the wonderful aroma of the fire and dad's fried
bacon, pancakes & eggs.
At night there were no distractions of a television as we made
popcorn, played Flinch, and enjoyed each others company around the
fire. We finally had a relaxed dad all to ourselves as he was
disconnected from the busy schedule of being a principal and Prairie
board of directors member. We so enjoyed fishing for Northern pike,
perch and shooting gophers on the land in front of the cabins. Then
in the winter we would go back again and make a slick icy fast bob
sled run through the whole camp right down to the lake. Dad towed
Joel and I on our toboggans over the frozen ice behind our old
faithful 1954 blue Ford station wagon. Once, dad, who was normally so
cautious really scared the pants off of us as he raced
wildly
at 50 mph across the lake.
Dad's
favorite pass time was baseball. He over the years saw many all time
greats like Babe Ruth, Joe Di Maggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Lou
Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle play ball. He took my brother and I to
Fenway Park to see his beloved Boston Red Sox and when we lived in
So. New Jersey we went to Connie Mack Stadium to see the
Philadelphia Phillies play. In 2004 when the Red Sox broke the 86
year old curse of the Bambino, I told dad, age 87, he was free to go
to heaven now as he had lived long enough to see the Boston miracle. Dad
lived long enough to see the Red Sox win the series again in 2007.
Dad
took me to my little league games when we lived in NJ and cheered
for me from the stands. We normally would get an ice cream cone on
the way home whether I won or lost. Dad would hit grounders to me
and fly balls for fielding practice and let me hit the same back to
him. Then he would let me do what I really desired, and that was to
pitch to him. With dad it was fundamentals first and then fun.
Dad
led us in family devotions at every dinner hour. Dad always
encouraged me to have my own private time of devotions. I remember
my dad encouraging me to be a disciple and follower of Christ.
With
dad's home going my siblings and I are now "fatherless orphans."
I know God has a special heart for us that are fatherless or
orphans. So I took out my concordance for some special words of
encouragement and this is what I found. Under Levitical law God had
a program of protection, provision, and blessing for the fatherless.
Deut. 14:29, 16:10-11, 24:17, 24:19-22, 26:12-13, 27:19. Psalm 10:14
says that God is the helper of the fatherless.
My
favorite verse is Psalm 68:5 which states that God is a Father to
the fatherless. This is what I asked God for the night dad went to
heaven. I asked since he had taken my father to be with Him I needed
Him to be my Heavenly Father in a whole new earthly way. Here is the
precious promise to all of us who have lost our earthly fathers. He
is our Father now on a whole new personal and very intimate level of
compassion and love. John 14:18 Jesus said, "I will not leave you as
orphans, I will come to you". I am claiming these verses. I am
saying to God, since you took my father to be with You I will call
it a fair deal if you become more of a Father presence in my life,
and send Jesus to be with me as promised to boot.
I miss
you dad. I will miss your weekly chats and prayers. In the last year
my father would always end our conversations with this blessing on
my life:
The Lord bless thee and
keep (emphasis on keep) thee:
The Lord make His face
shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
AMEN
-- Numbers 6:24-26
Thank you both of my fathers for this blessing and
benediction on my life. Dad I'll be with you soon and forever. I
Love you
Your son,
Stephen Taylor Freeman XOXO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Nancy Freeman Brown's Memories ~
All of
us have only one birth father in our lives, and I am grateful for
the man of truth and conviction God chose to be my Father.
Whenever my Father sensed the foundations of Christianity were being
eroded, he would always stand for the old landmarks of truth from
the Word of God. So many memories tumble through the mind at a
time like this.
Here
are a few I remember about my life with Dad.
|
Dad loved to
walk fast! I remember as a little five year old trying to keep up
with Daddy’s big steps on the sidewalks of Minneapolis as we walked
to the rescue mission for the weekly movie presentation.
Dad loved ice
cream! In the mid 50’s, every time we took a shopping trip to
Lewiston, ME, Dad would buy a half gallon of ice cream, and we would
divide it up in bowls in the car for a special treat.
Dad always
preached with intensity, because he believed what he was preaching.
Dad always
made certain that I never received any special favors above other
young people when he taught me in school.
I will always
remember the day Dad drove our family to the train station in
Calgary, Alberta, and we bade our sad farewells as I left for
college in Ohio.
While in
college, I always received a weekly letter from Dad, Mom or both.
|
|
Dad called
the superintendent in Litchfield, ME, got me my first teaching
interview. I was hired!
Dad loved my
husband! First time, Dad met my husband, he encouraged him to take
me out and teach me how to drive. A year later, Dad married me to
this wonderful man.
Dad made
weekly phone calls to keep in touch with us.
Dad loved
slapstick comedy! He would rent movies of Laurel and Hardy and
others so that he could show
them at Litchfield Academy on Saturdays where we would all have a
fun time laughing together. He had a distinctive, infectious belly
laugh.
It was a
sweet time in the hospital a few weeks ago when together we shared
memories for the last time on earth.
Dad
took his family responsibilities seriously and deeply loved his
children. I will forever be thankful for my Dad, because he was
hand picked by God for me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arthur's Favorite Verses
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious
riches in Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:19
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father, except through me." -- John 14:6
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Click on Katherine's image to visit
her tribute page. She went to heaven
about 33 days before Arthur arrived.
You are about to meet a Godly woman.
|
If you have not made your peace with God, Arthur would boldly tell you
that this life is but a short period of time. He would then invite
you to ask Jesus (the true Reason for living) to come into your
life and heart and to take over. “Jesus, I realize that I am a
sinner and that You died on the cross as payment for my sins. Please
forgive me and accept me just as I am. I receive you into my life
right now as my Personal Savior. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. I
want to live for You -- for the rest of my life.”
Arthur passed from this place we all call "reality" and entered
into another realm. One split second later he could attest to a remarkable reality
-- making peace with the Lord is the most important gift anyone can
receive at this time of year. Arthur is absent from his earthly
body and present with the Lord. What a triumphant homecoming for a
life well-lived! By the way, how large was the choir of angels
awaiting his arrival? Has he already checked out his mansion (with a
full library of books)?
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-- Do you have any fond
memories, personal stories or experiences that will help
everyone to get a greater glimpse into the life of Arthur
Freeman? If so, please
visit our
new web-based
Message Board designed for you to share your fond
memories for others to read. If the web forum
isn't working properly, please
email
those stories to us and we'll post them for you. Thanks for
stopping by to pay your respects to an incredible man. |
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Arthur Freeman's
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