Richard Freeman

Richard Weldon Freeman, Sr., passed from this life on October 25, 2013, at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City while under the care of Mercy Hospice. He was born on November 27, 1931, in Oklahoma City to Weldon ("Dick") Freeman and Opal Hatton Freeman. After graduation from Classen High School in 1949, he attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas, where met Janelle Ramsey. They married in 1951 in Itasca, Texas, and were married for more than 62 years. Richard and Janelle had three sons who became the focus of his life. He spent many years involved in their growing up activities: football; Little League baseball; wrestling; old car restoration; flying lessons; trap shooting; and much more. Richard served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War and trained at Syracuse University as a Russian linguist for the Air Force. Later, after receiving a B.A. degree from the University of Oklahoma and a J.D. degree from the Oklahoma City University College of Law, he practiced law in a partnership with Leamon Freeman for many years in Oklahoma City. In 1985, he was appointed as a Special Judge for the Oklahoma County District Court before he was elected as a District Judge in 1986. After retiring from the bench in 1999, he enjoyed some of the best years of his life on the farm he purchased near Cashion, Oklahoma. There he led the leisurely life of a part-time farmer enjoying his cattle, his beagles, and his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He especially enjoyed the many new friends he met at the "Feed Store" in Cashion where they gathered daily to solve the world's problems. (John and Paula and all the other good people there gave him a real lift of spirit as he lived his last few months.) Richard made friends easily and had made many throughout his life. He was brought up in the Presbyterian Church and lived his life on basic Christian beliefs. These remained with him throughout his life.