Jessie Milne Freeman

Jessie Freeman died peacefully at her family home in Springfield, NH on June 11, 2022, following a battle with melanoma. At the time of her passing she was surrounded by family and loved ones.

Jessie was born in Concord, NH to Jeff and Dale Milne on October 14, 1978, joining three brothers.  She attended Kearsarge Regional Schools and Proctor Academy, where she excelled in foreign languages and the arts.  She attended Colorado College and Savannah College of Art and Design before graduating from Antioch College with a BA in Human Development.  
 
Jessie and her husband Mike met at Proctor, where they were members of the school’s cross country running team.  In November 1999, Jessie and Mike reconnected at a mutual friend’s wedding in Jekyll Island, GA, and were married at her grandparents’ home at Twin Lake Villa in Springfield, NH in 2005.  Jessie and Mike made their home in Sutton, NH and Aiken, SC.  Jessie worked with young children, beginning as a camp counselor, later at the Sunapee elementary school, and most recently at James House, the preschool of KRSD.

Jessie will be remembered for her natural grace, inherent kindness, subtle yet sharp wit and sense of humor, and her perceptive and compassionate intellect. She treated everyone with respect, especially those who might sometimes get overlooked for their good works and kindness. While a private person by nature, she maintained fierce loyalty to her oldest and dearest friends.

Jessie cherished a lasting connection to the New London area; not only for its natural beauty but for the personal relationships she developed there since her childhood. Jessie loved and respected traditions, especially those that included family, and she always looked and put on her best for holiday gatherings.

Jessie enjoyed traveling and experiencing new places, both abroad and throughout the United States. Some of her favorite adventures included road trips to Colorado and Santa Fe with Mike and their dog to ski and visit family, visiting lifelong friend Kate Cook in Nevada to hike and laugh, and living and learning in Avignon, France for a semester while at Proctor.

Seven years before her passing, Jessie and her husband Mike gave birth to their son, Michael. Michael is as unique an individual as each of his parents, while embodying their best qualities. For seven years, Jessie put every bit of life she could into teaching, raising, and nurturing Michael. She was immensely proud of her boy, and she had every right to be. He was the light of her life, and the time they had together was a blessing.

Throughout an often painful and arduous battle with cancer over the past year, Jessie maintained an amazing strength, stoicism, and dignity regarding her condition. She did not complain, and kept much of her personal struggle to herself, not wanting to burden others with knowledge and detail of things no one could change. Instead, she pushed on, participating in and supporting the endeavors and exploits of her son and husband, however she could. As usual, she thought of others before herself. By Jessie’s side throughout her treatment was Mike, her beloved husband, best friend, and soulmate. They always found occasion and opportunity to laugh and reflect, even during the hardest of times. Their love for each other, and the bond that they built over 22 years together, survived every up and down. They were fortunate to have found such a perfect match in each other.

Jessie is survived by her husband, Michael Winthrop Freeman, a son Michael, her parents, Jeff and Dale Milne; brothers Thomson Milne (Lauren) of Seattle, Malcolm Milne (Marilyn) of Sutton, Jeb Milne of Del Norte, CO, and her cousin Devon DiClerico Germak of Newton, MA, as well as aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The family would like to thank Dr. Keisuke Shirai of the Oncology Department of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (now Dartmouth Health), DH ICU nurses and the staff of Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Donations may be made to the 2022 Prouty “Team J”, honoring the lives of Jessie and her uncle, Joseph A DiClerico, Jr, both of whom fought cancers so bravely during the past year.  Donations may also be made to YMCA Camp Coniston, P.O. Box 185, Grantham, NH  03753; the Lake Sunapee VNA & Hospice, PO Box 2209, New London, NH, or an animal or children’s charity of one’s choice.  Jessie’s family would urge anyone who can, to donate blood to DH Blood Donor Program or the Red Cross.
A celebration of Jessie’s life will be held at a later date.