Robert T. Freeman

Robert T. Freeman

Ocean City - Robert Thomas Freeman, Sr., colloquially known as Boomer, age 77, of Ocean City, passed away at home on May 11, 2021, after a courageous and hard-fought battle with cancer.

Boomer was born in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Robert Deakin and Ruth (Mulvaney) Freeman. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marianna Elizabeth (Buccheri), two sons, Robert T. "Beau" Freeman, Jr., of Frederick, Maryland, and Joseph D. Freeman of Chicago, Illinois; and one granddaughter, Samantha. He is also survived by a sister, Dorothy Dube (Russell Barber) of Cary, North Carolina; a brother, James Freeman (Laurie) of Barkhamsted, Connecticut; twelve nieces and nephews, many more grand- and great-grandnieces and nephews, and countless honorary family members. He was predeceased by his sister, Jane Shanklin.

Boomer spent much of his early life in New York and New Jersey, though his most meaningful and long-term childhood home was in Natick, Massachusetts. A 1962 graduate of Marian High School in Framingham, Boomer graduated from the University of New England (St. Francis College), in 1966 with a BS in Biochemistry. Boomer was a two sport athlete at St. Francis, competing in both soccer and ice hockey. It was his play on the ice that earned him his nickname: like Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, he boasted a mean slapshot. College was also where he met his wife of 53 years; his family had relocated to Baltimore and Annie, who attended neighboring Saint Joseph's College, was the first Marylander he found in Southern Maine.

After graduation, Boomer took a job with Joseph Seagram and Sons in Baltimore, settling first in Dundalk, then in Severn. His time in Baltimore allowed him to start a family and to make lifelong friends. In 1979, he relocated his young family to Fulton, New York, where he took a position with Miller Brewing Company at its new bottling facility. After six long winters in upstate New York, Boomer decided to change careers and relocate to Ocean City. With an entrepreneurial energy, a financially savvy spouse, and an authentic love of food, he opened Boomer's Restaurant in Berlin, Maryland, in 1985. For the next sixteen years, Boomer and Annie owned and operated the restaurant. While Boomer's was also known for its ice cream, cheesesteaks, and fried chicken, Boomer himself focused on the pizza side of the business, working seven days a week year round during the dinner shift. Boomer cared most deeply for those who worked at the restaurant over the years, knowing very well that his own success depended on the health, happiness, and wellbeing of those he employed.

Though he "retired" in 2001, Boomer remained active in the community, taking occasional shifts at The Bearded Clam and The Cork Bar in Ocean City, working out at various local gyms, playing golf every Tuesday with a loyal and committed group of friends, growing incredible crops of tomatoes in his garden, traveling the world with his wife, and watching the growth and expansion of his immediate and extended family with pride and contentment. Boomer loved his friends and family, and he took particular interest in the lives of those who lived and worked in downtown Ocean City. The Amazing Boomer was quick with a smile, ready with a joke, strong in his opinions but always thoughtful and aware of those around him. He lived his life with kindness and gratitude towards others--the epitome of a man who found success in the service industry.

A memorial service will be held for Boomer on Monday, May 17th at noon at Holy Savior Catholic Church in Ocean City, Maryland. While no formal viewing or celebration of life will be held, Boomer's friends and family are invited to drop by The Bearded Clam, 15 Wicomico Street, on Monday afternoon to grab a drink and a bite to eat and to share happy memories and stories from his extraordinary life. The Clam will donate all proceeds from the day to Coastal Hospice, which gave Boomer such thoughtful and exceptional care in his final weeks. A private interment will be held for Boomer later in the summer at his family's ancestral home in Sandisfield, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Boomer's memory may be made to The Robert and Marianna Freeman Scholarship at Saint Joseph's College, 278 Whites Bridge Rd, Standish, ME, 04084. Letters of condolence may be sent via: www.burbagefuneralhome.com . Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.