Thomas Edward Freeman

In the early morning of Oct. 19 our dad's tired body gave up and he, being a believer in Jesus Christ, went to be welcomed into heaven by his Savior and all those who have already relocated there. He is no longer in pain and has been reunited with his wife Hazel whom he has missed every day since her passing in 2010. Although we will miss him very much we are sure there is much rejoicing in heaven. Probably a celebration with cold milk and a big bowl of ice cream.

Tom, aka Black Sheep or “Honest Tom,” was born March 31, 1935, in Mount Vernon, Wash. to Edward Maurice Freeman and Stella Margaurite (Jenkins) Freeman. He had two older sisters Virginia (Ginny) Sundberg and Janet (Jan) Adkins; one older brother Maurice Eldon (Bud) Freeman; and a younger sister Aurelia (Annie) Anderson.

He moved with his parents to St. Maries, Idaho (Harrison Flats) in 1950 and graduated from St. Maries High School in 1955. In 2006 Tom was honored and inducted into the St. Maries High School Wall of Fame. 

He moved to Seattle to work for his brother-in-law, where he met Hazel Paulson and began dating her; they were married Oct. 12, 1956, in Burien, Washington at the Presbyterian church. Their life together began in St. Maries where they farmed and milked cows. Tom and his dad also worked at the St. Maries Sawmill. 

While they were in St. Maries, three sons were born: Thomas Edward Jr., Timothy Jon and Tony Bryan. Shortly after Tony's birth, due to the burning down of the sawmill and an opportunity to purchase and develop new farm ground on the Royal Slope, Tom moved his family west. While developing the farm ground Tom also went to work for Ray Logan of Broadway Lumber in Othello. Ray asked Dad if he knew how to bend nails. Dad replied yes and was hired. Dad helped build many houses on the Royal Slope and in the Othello area.

After they moved to the Royal Slope, three more boys were welcomed to the family: Teddy Phillip, Todd Michael and Troy Luis. This completed the work force for the farm.

It was a good life even though the work may have been hard. Dad was a great husband, father, grandpa, great-grandpa and teacher. In 1972 Hazel’s parents moved their dairy operation to the Royal Slope and formed a partnership with Tom and Hazel. In 1974, the operation became Sunny Royal Slope Dairy.

Dad was very active in many activities such as FFA and 4-H. He was a leader in 4-H for over 50 years. In 2014 Dad was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame. He spent many years serving as Dairy Superintendent as well as on sale committees at both Grant County and Adams County fairs. In later years he served as Dairy Superintendent at the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima. In connection with the fairs Tom and Hazel enjoyed displaying a collection of antique dairy equipment along with other miscellaneous things. They both really enjoyed being around people and sharing their time. Dad was an active member of the Grant County District 11 Volunteer Fire Department for many years and was honored as Fireman of the Year in 1991. Supporting his children, grandkids, great grandkids and kids in general was very important to Tom. He started helping the Royal football program by running chains in the ‘60s sometime and his boys are carrying on that tradition still today. In 1978 he became a Royal School Board member and served until 2005. He presented diplomas to 5 of his 6 boys as well as many of his grandkids. In 2000 Tom and Hazel were honored as the Grand Marshals of Royal City's Community Days. Dad was an active member of the Othello Presbyterian Church. He served as a deacon and greeter and helped with VBS through the years. After Hazel's passing Dad enjoyed time at the Royal Food Bank where he made some really good friends.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents Edward Maurice Freeman and Stella Margaurite (Jenkins) Freeman, the love of his life Hazel (Paulson) Freeman and sisters Ginny (Freeman) Sundberg and Janet (Freeman) Adkins. Tom is survived by his brother Maurice Eldon (Bud) Freeman and sister Aurelia (Annie) Anderson; six sons Thomas Edward Jr. (Sharon) Freeman, Timothy Jon (Nancy) Freeman, Tony Bryan (Kathy) Freeman, Teddy Phillip Freeman, Todd Michael (Joey) Freeman and Troy Luis (Turee) Freeman; and 16 grandkids and 13 great-grandkids so far. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Coventry House as well as Assured Hospice for all their loving care of our dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 21, 2026, at Royal Intermediate School with viewing from 9:30 to10:30 a.m. and burial at Royal Memorial Gardens with meal to follow.