Worthington High Schools Alumni Club - Deceased Classmates
First Name
Howard Russel
Maiden Name
Last Name
Freeman
Passing Date
2/23/2024
Class Attended
1948
High School
Worthington High School
Howard Russel Freeman, 93, of Wooster died on Friday, February 23, 2024 at Danbury of Wooster. He was born April 7, 1930 in Toledo to Howard Zelle and Anna Short Freeman. On December 26, 1953, he married Teresa Cannon, whom he met at Camp Ohio. She survives. Howard was a 1948 graduate of Worthington High School where he played football and ran on the district championship track team. He qualified for the state track meet in the individual mile run. Howard was also a lifelong member of the Worthington High School Alumni Association. He was a 1953 graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Animal Science/Husbandry and had been a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Fraternity. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-55 as a 1st Lieutenant. He was the retired owner of Freeman Construction Company, general contractor and builder of many local buildings including most of the Rubbermaid campus and College of Wooster facilities including Scheide Music Center, Timken Gymnasium, Freedlander Theater, the original Lowry Center and Andrews Library. His personal signature project was the renovation of St. Mary Church. Beyond the local area, Freeman Construction completed projects throughout Ohio and in other states such as New York, Tennessee and Texas. As a lifelong cattle farmer, he won the Grand championship for the pen of five beef cattle at the 1972 Ohio State Fair and also founded and was head advisor of the Franklin Beef Feeders 4-H club. He was involved in 4-H for most of his life, including his time at OSU. He attended the family camp and mens camps at Kelley’s Island 4-H Camp. He was also a member of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, the Wooster Elks Lodge, Rotary International, and Wooster Country Club. At the age of 89, he hit two holes-in-one in consecutive rounds within a three day window. He was also a member of the 20/30 club and the Knights of Columbus, where he obtained 4th Degree status. He served on the Wayne County Board of Developmental Disabilities and had been president of the Triway Athletic Booster Club. Multiple times he initiated and oversaw improvements and preparation of the track and field surface prior to the Triway Invitational. He served on the planning and fundraising committees for the all-weather track upgrade at Triway. When the 1984 Triway boys track team won the school’s first team District Championship, Howard gifted team members with a silver track shoe charm as someone had done for his District Championship team at Worthington. Along with his wife, Howard is survived by his children Daniel (Laurie) Freeman and Jon Freeman both of Wooster, Maria Hirst of Delaware, OH, Laurie (John) Hamilton of Kirkland, WA and Joseph Freeman of Salt Lake City, UT; grandchildren Curtis, Stewart, Elyse Freeman, Daniel (Jennifer) Hirst, Kathryn (Brad) Hutson, Morningstar Hirst, Meghan and Brooks Hamilton; great grandchildren Noah Hirst, Zoey and Oliver Hutson; along with many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Elizabeth Freeman McCoy, Rosemary Buchwalter and brother Michael Freeman.
