Ida Mae Freeman

Ida Mae Freeman passed away Friday, July 27, 2018 in Springdale, Arkansas. She was born September 15, 1927 the daughter of Ralph and Lillian Adams in Wagoner, Oklahoma. She was a 1945 graduate of Wagoner High School where she was Drum Major of the Marching Band, voted Best Girl Citizen and Annual Queen. After graduation she enrolled for the summer semester at Oklahoma A&M (OSU) in Stillwater. She pledged Pi Beta Phi and was elected President of her pledge class and Secretary of the Freshman class. She had two years at OSU and graduated with a B.A. in Science and Education in August of 1947 she married her high school sweetheart, John Thomas Freeman, who had just returned from his Naval Tour of Duty with the SeaBees in Okinawa, Japan. They continued their college education at Northeastern State in Tahlequah while living in Wagoner, Oklahoma, they then moved to Oklahoma City where they decided to move to Santa Ana, California where they lived and taught school for five years. They then moved back to Oklahoma so John could earn his degree. Ida earned her Masters and taught for two years at Ellington Elementary in Wagoner. In 1964 the Freemans returned to California where they both taught school for 19 happy years, retiring in 1984, they then moved to Springdale, Arkansas where they attended the First Baptist Church of Springdale and Ida sang in the choir for twenty five years. She also volunteered at Northwest Medical Center in Springdale for seventeen years earning 5,000 hours of service. She is preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, and her husband. Survivors include many nieces and nephews. Funeral service will be Saturday August 4, 2018 at 1 p.m. at Cross Church of Springdale, with Charlie Foster and Larry Colclasure officiating. Burial will follow at Bluff Cemetery in Springdale. Visitation will be one hour before service starting at 12 noon. Online condolences may be left at www.siscofuneral.com.