Mildred C. Freese

Freese, Mildred C. Reporter and columnist specializing in business, consumer affairs and personal finance for The Milwaukee Journal for 32 years, died Sunday, June 22, 2008, of complications of breast cancer, age 77. Her writing and columns on consumer affairs and product pricing helped thousands of Wisconsin readers of The Journal to manage their household budgets, their shopping and their personal finances. One of the few women to work in mainstream newspaper journalism in Milwaukee in the early 1960s, her intelligent competence, strong personality and integrity eased the way for women who followed. Freese grew up on the family's dairy farm near Galena, IL. She attended school in Dubuque, IA, and came to Milwaukee to study journalism at Marquette University. Following graduation, she worked on newspapers in Dubuque, Albuquerque, NM, and Racine before joining The Journal in 1963. She retired from The Journal, as did many of her colleagues, when The Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel merged, forming the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in April 1995. She had many outside interests, chief among them travel. She was naturally athletic, a dedicated jogger and competitive at tennis, and was such a good downhill skier that she was an instructor in the sport. She often treated nieces and nephews to ski trips in the Rocky Mountains. She marked her 60th birthday by climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya, Africa, a trek for which she trained for many weeks. As might be expected considering her job, Freese was an excellent businesswoman, she invested conservatively and owned duplexes, which she maintained and operated successfully as rental properties. As a volunteer, she taught English as a second language and tutored grade school students. She served as secretary on the Resident's Board of St. John's Home of Milwaukee, 1840 N. Prospect Ave., where she lived for the past two years. She was an active member of the Milwaukee Press Club, Tempo and the Renaissance Theaterworks Board of Directors. She has been preceded by her mother Laura Freese, who died last year at age 97, father John Freese, and her younger brother, Kenneth Freese. She is survived by a sister-in-law Lillian (Roger) VanNatta, nephews Daniel and David Freese (Lisa), nieces Debra (John) Jakel, Doris (Gary) Kruse, and Donna (David) Miller. A gathering for friends and family in Milwaukee who wish to share memories of Milly will be at 3:30 PM, with reception 4:30PM, Tuesday, July 1, at St. John's on the Lake, 1840 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee. No flowers please. Donations can be made to Our Next Generation Foundation's Homework Club program, Milly Freese Memorial Fund, 804 E Juneau., Milwaukee, WI 53202, the New Plaza Garden at St. John's on the Lake, or Renaissance Theaterworks. A gathering In her hometown of Galena IL will be at 10AM Thursday, July 3 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 337 S. Bench St., IL 61036 followed by mass at 11AM. Ashes will be interred at St. Michael's Cemetery, Galena. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mildred's name should be given to St. Michael's Church.