Wayne H. Freeman

July 11, 1936 – May 9, 2016

Wayne H. Freeman, 79, a resident of Moses Lake since 1964, passed away at Samaritan Hospital on May 9, 2016. Wayne was born to Henry and Thelma (Richardson) Freeman on July 11, 1936 in Billings, Mont. Wayne was raised and educated in Montana. At an early age, Wayne discovered his love for music. At age 14 he was playing his saxophone with a group for school dances and other functions. He graduated from high school in 1954 in Laurel, Mont. and went on to receive a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Montana State University and a master’s degree from the University of Montana. He began his teaching career in Glasgow, Mont. in 1958, moving on to Greybull, Wyo. in 1960. He moved on to Moses Lake to a position with the Moses Lake School District in 1964. He was part of the large music program and taught string and band instruments to hundreds of children throughout the next seven years, receiving many No. 1 ratings for his groups. Another reason for the move to Moses Lake was the chance to play music with Steve Laughery’s The Many Sounds of Nine, a local big band group which had won the national title of “Best New Dance Band” a few years earlier. The group performed all over Washington and in Nevada over the years.

Wayne moved on to Big Bend Community College as head of the music department in 1972. In 1974 he began a long string of Spring Musicals involving many talented people from the Basin area, and he hired many celebrities to play the leading roles and to choreograph and direct the shows. He served as musical conductor for the likes of Metropolitan Opera star Jan Peerce, movie musical legend Howard Keel, comedian Soupy Sales, Joe Namath, Edie Adams and Leonard Nimoy, to name a few. The musicals were a huge success over the years, giving the Basin area talent a chance to learn from professional actors and choreographers. Wayne felt this gave our area a “little touch of Broadway.”

From 1977-78 Wayne was selected to spend and entire year as an N.E.H. Graduate Fellow at the Claremont Graduate School near Los Angeles. He worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gail Kubik and internationally renowned musicologist Dr. Roland Jackson. Wayne brought back a wealth of information to use in his future endeavors.

After retirement from BBCC in 1992, Wayne started a new undertaking as a certified graphologist. He had his own graphology website which he used to teach handwriting analysis over the Internet. In 1997 he organized Dickens Caroling Groups with select singers, and had groups performing in the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Moses Lake and Spokane areas.

Wayne loved to take on large projects. Illness and the urge to try new musical adventures saw him writing the music and lyrics of a play about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a musical about the area most close to his heart, Yellowstone Park, and a play about the area where he spent his early years, a coal mining area around Bearcreek and Washoe, Montana.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Patricia, daughter Carol Yarger (Danny Bruno) of Sun Lakes, Ariz., daughter LouAnne Devine (Kent) of Ephrata, Wash. and one son, David Freeman of Moses Lake. He is also survived by a sister, Marlene Bradford of Austin, Texas; grandchildren Shelley Belliston (Paul) of Nampa, Idaho, Rachel Bingham (Tony) of Rapid City, S.D., Steven and Garrett Devine of Bellingham, Wash. and Chad Devine (Casey) of Ephrata, Wash. and eight great-grandchildren.

Wayne was an energetic, talented and fun-loving man. He enjoyed life to the hilt and his mantra was “It’s better to burn out than to rust out.” He was happiest when he was surrounded by family and friends. He was in contact with many friends from high school, his Sounds of Nine band family and many local people who still ask “Will there ever be another Spring Musical?”

A Celebration of Life will be held at Wallenstien Theater on the Big Bend Community College campus on Friday, June 3, 2016 at 2 p.m. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Big Bend Community College Foundation Music Department Fund, 7662 Chanute Street N.E., Moses Lake, WA 98837.