Rhea Janet Freese

Mrs. Freese was my 6th grade teacher at (old) University Park school. I frequently ran into her in Fairbanks, and I always told her that was my favorite year in school, thank in large part to her. My condolences to her family.

To the Freese children — especially Richard who, I believe, is the one who attended my Musical Nursery School in Fairbanks in the 1960s. I want you children to know what a remarkable teacher Rhea was. I’m happy that I often let her know how much I appreciated all she did for so many children. You can be proud of the legacy she left.
Sincerely,
Jo Ryman Scott, now living in a retirement community in Tucson.

Charlie,Richard, and Sam sorry to hear about your mom.I never had the privilege of meeting either of your parents.But they must have been really cool.I know both her boys are.Stay strong,God bless

My deepest condolences to the Family of Rhea. I’m so sorry for your loss. MAY the God of all comfort give you the strength to endure this sad occasion. JOHN:28,29 gives us a wonderful hope of being able to see our loved ones again.

I had the privilege of having Mrs. Freese for the 4th and 6th grades at University Park, and then she followed me, or I followed her, to Main Junior High School, where she was my home room teacher. She was a wonderful teacher, with lots of patience, and a great dry sense of humor. She was a good teacher and influence to me and many others who were lucky enough to have been taught by her. She will be missed, and I wish to convey my sincere condolences to her family,

I met Gerry and Rhea through a mutual friend on the day I moved to Alaska in February 1985, when I was just shy of 21 years old. They let me stay in the guest room for a few days until I got squared away. It was a wonderful experience to hear their stories of Fairbanks in the 1950s. I shopped at Fred Meyers West until about 4 years ago and on occasion used to see Rhea there . We always had a nice chat, and she always had a smile and wonderful hearty laugh. My condolences to the family.

Rhea was a wonderful teacher. When I began teaching at UPark in the 60's, she was so helpful in guiding me through the school and sharing all the years of information/education about Fairbanks she had acquired.
We had lots of fun talking to her and Gerry about hunting pheasants in the Dakotas. She had a quick wit and a delightful smile. We had good walks at Creamers with her dogs. She will be missed.

Seeing Rhea's photo in the newspaper, even though attached to her obituary, brought a smile to my face. What a kind, gentle woman who always had a smile for everyone. She helped to raise up many children in Fairbanks through her teaching at University Park and has definitely earned her wings. Rest in peace, Rhea.

My favorite teacher! I was blessed to have Mrs. Freese for both fourth and sixth grades. And then, years later, I was able to do Intro to Elementary Education under her tutelage. She helped mold so many of us UPark Leprechauns toward the adults we turned into.

Throughout the years, whenever we ran into each other at Fred Meyer’s, we would stop and chat. She was always interested in how many years of teaching I had under my belt and when I was going to retire. I always joked...