John Wilson Freeman,III

The Legacy of John Wilson Freeman, III If ever there was a strong, loving man who always took good care of his family...it was John. John Wilson Freeman, III once said love is a verb, not an adjective to describe a feeling but something that you do to show that you care about someone. John lived by those words. Even his wife Karen’s coworkers saw evidence of his love. They saw the packed lunches of home cooked meals. Karen would always show up to work with a cup of coffee from Wawa because John would go out and get her coffee when it was almost time for her to get up for work. He would always walk her to the door when she left to go to work. John saw it as his job to make sure his wife was happy and had everything she needed, many times anticipating her needs before she did. Love is a verb, an action word. John was able to trace his family tree back to the late 1700’s to a man named Lewis Freeman, a free man who owned several properties. The Lewis Freeman’s residence which he built around 1815 is still standing today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lewis Freeman’s son Waller Freeman purchased his family, a wife and 6 children for $1,800 dollars in 1842. One of Waller’s sons Robert Tanner Freeman, would become the first Black dentist to be formally trained at Harvard Dental School. Robert’s grandson Robert Weaver, was the first African American to hold a cabinet level position in the United States serving as the first Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. From the 1800’s to the present time there have been numerous doctors and lawyers. John’s father, John Freeman Jr. was a doctor. He has several cousins who are attorneys, one he just met two weeks ago when they decided to meet at the Lewis Freeman house. He was born in Brooklyn, NY on December 24, 1951 to Dr. John Wilson Freeman Jr. and Sarah Jeanette Wright. John grew up playing stickball in front of his grandmother’s house on Decatur Street and began school at McAlpin Episcopal School and Adelphi Academy. From there John attended Franklin K. Lane High School, but stopped after his mother Sarah passed in 1968. Before he left school, John met Karen Cypress on August 16, 1969. They became good friends and married on November 4, 1972. Together they had two sons, Christopher DeVaughn and Kevin Alvin Freeman. Karen worked by day and went to school at night. After the elder John Freeman passed in 1974, young John drove a taxi. He went back to school and got his GED, then he passed two parts of the New York State insurance examination at the same time, for which he received an associates degree. His sons grew and John’s responsibilities grew too. He became a manager for Dodge Corp. and began to prosper, but decided he liked working for himself best. His sister, Judi, persuaded him about the value of internships and he used that idea to pursue a long-held desire in the legal field. Once Karen completed graduate school. John enrolled in Empire State University, obtaining his bachelors degree and pursued studies as a paralegal. The law firm he worked for sponsored him and helped him gain acceptance to John Bowne Law School (City University of New York). He obtained his Juris Doctor degree in May, 1997. There was also time for fun. John coached little league with the Cambria Heights Sports Association for a short while. He tried out for the New York Jets farm team. He met and made friends with Karen Nicholas. It was a friendship lasting many years. They decided to move to Virginia in 2004. John continued his law practice in New York. Two of the things he poured his gifts over were the needs of children in special education and rehabilitating the youth. He created a website called Ability to Change, which featured thoughts of encouragement. John’s true passion was cooking. He was self-taught. Everyone loved his bread. On April 8, 2009, John and Karen Nicholas became man and wife. Along with her three sons, Delenis, Kevin and Johnathan, they made a happy home that remained until the end of his days. John was a highly intelligent man with a phenomenal memory. He was a walking encyclopedia. He had an incredible wealth of knowledge. If you needed information on almost any topic especially history, the Bible, sports, politics or geography, John could give you information down to minute details. John was very spiritual and a devoted Christian. He had a bible on his nightstand and on his Kindle. John believed everyone should have their own personal relationship with God. John is survived by his caring wife, Karen Nicholas-Freeman, two sons, Christopher Freeman (Chante) and Kevin Freeman (Nettie McCorkle); three step-sons, Delenis Rhodes (Haneefah); Kevin Rhodes (Bernadette) and Johnathan Nicholas-Hill; thirteen grandchildren whom he loved dearly; two sisters, Judi Freeman-Shimel (Liston) and Josephine Freeman-Jamison (Sam Jamison). He is also survived by his loving in-laws, Helena and Warren Adams; sister-in-law, Michelle Mitchell (Tyrone); two brothers-in-law, Rev. Kevin Nicholas (Rev. Gertrude) and Mark Hatcher (Rachael); his ex-wife, Karen Cypress-Freeman who remains a dear friend to both John and Karen; and a host of other relatives and loving friends. John passed very unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 only a few minutes after arriving home with his wife Karen having visited at his in-law’s house.

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John Wilson Freeman,III

December 24, 1951 - June 25, 2014