Freddie Angeletti Jr. DMD

Freddie Angeletti, Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend, passed away on November 26, 2024 at the age of 74. Born July 3, 1950 in Atlanta, Georgia, he lived all of his life in the Atlanta area. He met his beloved wife Sara Rappold Angeletti, in the kindergarten class they attended at St. Thomas More Catholic School in Decatur, Georgia. They both attended Druid Hills High School and Georgia State University although they never dated during that time. He married Sara at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Stone Mountain, on December 26, 1990. More recently they attended St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Snellville.
Freddie attended Medical College of Georgia after which he was a dentist in the Stone Mountain and Lilburn area for 50 years. His practice was called Gentle Touch Dentistry, so named because of his gentle touch with patients. Freddie treated many patients for all of their lives, and nothing gave him more joy than to see a grown child of a long-time patient with their new family continue to see him as their dentist. He was loved by staff and patients over the years. He took great pleasure in mentoring an Associate Dentist who had never had her own practice, and when he sold his practice, she became his dentist.
Freddie loved the beaches at St. Simon's and Destin, and loved traveling to other countries. He and Sara traveled to Switzerland and Italy to their ancestral homes after locating them through ancestry research. In Switzerland they found the church where Sara's Great Grandparents worshipped and were able to look at their marriage records from 1876. But the greatest joy was locating a cousin of which Freddie was unaware in Norcia, Italy, and spending time getting past the language barrier.
Being with his sons and grandchildren (after the grandchildren were past infancy) gave him great pleasure. He always spoke of them with great pride. One especially nice visit with Annelise took place when Alan and his family were living in Rwanda, Freddie and Sara visited there for a month, and were privileged to visit Akagera National Park, which was a dream come true for an animal lover like Freddie, with elephants, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, lions and many other animals all roaming free! Zoos with cages just aren't the same after that experience.
Freddie learned to fly airplanes at Peachtree DeKalb Airport when he was 16. He flew single engine planes and enjoyed flying in the North Georgia mountains on weekend afternoons. Flying was a spiritual experience for him which he felt drew him closer to God.
Freddie used to ride his motorcycle with a group of motorcyclists to winding roads like the Tail of the Dragon. With some of his biking friends, he completed the Iron Butt Motorcycle Challenge, where cyclists are challenged to ride 1,000 miles in 24 hours. It must have been grueling, because he only did that once.
While he loved flying planes and riding motorcycles, his greatest passion was his pets. Freddie learned from his father how to train their pet Doberman, Beauty, and the story of their training prowess was featured in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution Sunday Magazine section in December of 1958.
Over the years he has always had a dog to love. In later years, he always had 2 so they could keep each other company while he was at work. Freddie was an attentive dog dad, and always kept his dogs groomed. A sling seat that fitted in the back of his car allowed them to travel with him to the dog park in comfort. One of his favorite shirts read "I don't care who dies in a movie, as long as the dog lives."
His passion for animals did not stop with his own pets. Freddie routinely carried food to the feral cats in the wooded area beside his dental office, where he had also provided feral cat houses for their safety from predators and their comfort in cold weather. He also fed a duck and geese at a nearby pond. When Freddie drove up, the geese would recognize his car and run to it. People who drive into that subdivision in red cars are sure to be attacked by the geese and the duck. He volunteered at Shepherd's Staff Food Bank in Loganville, where he provided bagged food for the dogs and cats of people who came for food. His service there did not stop providing food. Meghan, who is in charge of Shepherd's Staff, said of Freddie that he always had a matter-of-fact way of talking with men, but they absolutely loved him. She said there were several male clients who would come through and ask specifically to talk to him. His love of animals was a real connection point for him with the clients there.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Freddie Angeletti, Sr. and Marie Merck Angeletti. He is survived by his wife, Sara Rappold Angeletti and his stepson, Alan Norman and daughter-in-law Kathy Black Norman, his stepson Brian Norman, granddaughters Annelise and Victoria Norman, his sister, Evelyn Angeletti, and many nieces and nephews.
The memorial service to celebrate the life of Freddie Angeletti, Jr., will be held on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 10:30 AM at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Snellville, GA. The family will receive friend on Friday, December 20, 2024 from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM at Tom M. Wages Funeral Services, Snellville, GA. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in honor of Freddie's memory to the Shepherd's Staff Food Bank in Loganville. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in honor of Freddie's memory to the Shepherd's Staff Food Bank in Loganville., 2240 Commerce Road, Loganville, GA 30052, or any pet rescue of your choice.
Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, A Family Company, 3705 Highway 78 West, Snellville, GA 30039 (770-979-3200) has been entrusted with the arrangements.