Thomas Freiberg

1936 - 2024

Thomas Freiberg
09/20/1936 - 12/24/2024
Thomas (Tom) Earl Freiberg Sr, age 88, of Big Rapids passed away on December 24, 2024. Tom was a husband, father, brother, and friend to all. He was born and lived his whole life in Big Rapids. Throughout his life, Tom was a hard worker, generous, and always willing to help. As the youngest boy in his family who fought chronic pneumonia for the first three years of his life which resulted in his siblings spoiling him. He attended Cobb school, where he made many life-long friends. Some of his fondest memories were growing up on the family farm where he helped his parents and siblings with the crops and animals. They plowed their fields with horses and picked grapes and apples in the orchards. Despite being spoiled as a child, as an adult he was as "tough as nails" working as a rough-neck in the gas and oil fields, as well as many other jobs. As a machinist, he was a leader who could remember and calculate all the measurements and information needed to make and repair magnetic chucks. He was an avid gardener of vegetables and flowers. He taught his children the joy of gardening and the art of canning. He was known by many as the man walking around town with his outrageously colored bucket hats, for his love of all kinds of music, with a special fondness for Metallica. His positive, friendly demeanor allowed him to strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere, during which he always had a positive compliment. After retirement, he enjoyed taking care of his grandchildren, working out at PT Plus, volunteering as a lunch worker for St. Mary's School and cheering on the Red Wings, Lions, and Tigers. In his later years, he attended the RES Life Church, where he was saved and was looking forward to rejoining his loved ones in heaven.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Starr Diane (Kent) Freiberg, his parents Ernest Freiberg and Elva (Sprague) Freiberg; Brothers: Eugene (Leatrice), James (Lavonna), and Richard (Marciel) Freiberg; Sisters: Emma Gene Freiberg, Nora Lou (Ray) DeLongpre, and Elva Louise (Hank) Schol. Grandsons: Shawn Derevage, Calen Page, and Great Grand-Daughter Lakota Freiberg. Left to mourn are his children: Brian (Dena) Freiberg, Thomas Jr. (Wendy) Freiberg, Susan Thomas, Dr. Barbara (Warren) Wright, Scott (Elizabeth) Freiberg, and Jennifer (James) Page. He also leaves his dearly loved grandchildren and great grandchildren, his sisters Marilyn Myers, and Mary Jane Mitchell, sisters-in-law Audry Kent, Eileen Kent, Sue Cyranoski, his special friend Lois Steig and many nieces and nephews.
The family will greet family and friends on Sunday, December 29, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Monday, December 30, 10:00 am -11:00 am. The memorial service will be held Monday, December 30 at 11:00 a.m. with a luncheon to follow. All services will be held at Daggett-Gilbert Funeral Home, 13985 Northland Drive, Big Rapids. Memorial contributions may be made to The Kawasaki Disease Foundation. To leave a memory or share a condolence, please visit, www.daggettgilbertfuneralhome.com