Mary Lewis Freeman

Mother Mary Lewis Freeman,85, was born December 20,1926 to Nora Byrd Lewis and Robert Leonard Lewis in Lawrenceville,Virginia. Mary was one of six children,three of whom preceded her in death,William Lewis,Robert Leonard Lewis,Jr.,and Virginia Lewis Pearson. Mary graduated from St. Paul High School in Lawrenceville,Virginia. After high school,Mary moved to Richmond,Virginia where she attended St. Phillips Nursing School where she received her Licensed Practical Nursing Certification (LPN). She worked as an LPN for may years in various hospitals and in later years she worked as a Head Start Nurse for the Richmond Community Action Agency's Head Start Program for pre-school aged children,after which she did private duty nursing for several families in the Richmond area. In 1950,she meet and married Reginald Mitchell(deceased),from this union came one daughter,Cleopatra. In 1969,she married Earnest L. Freeman. Mary and Ernest lived for many years on Barton Avenue in the City of Richmond. Just prior to their retirements they bulit a home in King and Queen County where Mary remained after her husband's death in 1997 until her health failed in 2010. During her early years in Richmond,she joined Fifth Baptist Church. After her marriage to Earnest Freeman in 1969,she joined her husband at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Howerton,VA. where he served as assistant pastor. Eventually Mary and her husband Earnest joined the Greater Refuge Apostle Church in Richmond where Mary was a member of the Golden Guild and an active member of the Geriatric Ministry until her health failed. Mary loved gardening and was an avid planter of flowers and vegetables.Mary and her constant companion,Romeo,a 160lb. Chow-Rockweiller mix,could be found outside planting.digging,chopping and harvesting year round. Our beloved Mary will live in the hearts and minds of all who knew and loved her. We were fortunate to have had her in our lives and will feel empty without her. She leaves to cherish her memory her devoted daughter, Cleopatra Powell Battle, adopted daughter Crystal Parsons, two sisters; Doris L. Lewis and Nora P. Lewis, granddaughters, Tiarra Battle and Ebony Jackson grandsons, Rodney M. Powell and Brian King; great-grandsons, Juanya and Daquan Powell; nephews, Kareem Abdul, Enis Pearson and Leon Pearson(Veronica); niece Rosalyn Key-Tiller(James) and a host of other relatives and friends. Among them devoted friend, Delores Hill.

Tributes

Mary Lewis Freeman

December 20, 1926 - September 3, 2012