James Freels Obituary
March 3, 1950 – January 6, 2026
James Jefferson Freels, born March 3, 1950, passed away on January 6, 2026, at his residence surrounded by his loved ones. Visitation with family will be Friday, January 9 at 1pm with Memorial Service to follow at 2pm at Stringer Funeral Home in Hazlehurst.
He was a member of Boy Scout Troop 156, Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow Brotherhood and his father, James, was his Scoutmaster.
Mr. Freels graduated from Crystal Springs High School in 1968 as Valedictorian and attended Mississippi State University in 1972 for Foreign Language and English and served as teacher's assistant. He was fluent in three languages.
He loved teaching and shared his knowledge at various locations which included French Camp Academy, Union Academy, Lincoln County Schools, Co-Lin as adjunct instructor and Sevenstar Christian School.
He loved to travel and one of his last pieces of advice was to "Reach out and grab as much of the world as you can now" and he did that in his many travels. He was the uncle who came back home to share his travel stories or who would stop at a pay phone to call home to his mom to check in and let her know about his new adventure and that he was ok. He traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, San Bernardino Mountains, San Diego, Washington DC, Orlando, Toronto Canada, Tokyo Japan and Vienna Austria.
He is preceded in death by parents, James & Maxine Sykes Freels and brother, Charles "Kenny" Freels.
He is survived by son, Glen Raymond Fortson, and granddaughters, Kaili Rae Fortson, Ariella Faith Geraldine Fortson and Amara Lee Fortson; brothers, Roylynn Freels (Rita), David Freels and John (Kelli) Freels, and "darling" sister, Laura (Brad) Marler and sister-in-law, Micki Freels and a host of nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mississippi State University.
We recommend calling our local florist directly when ordering flowers:
Crystal Springs
Wright's Florist 601-892-2891
Clear Creek Flowers 601-892-0070
Hazlehurst
Five 54 Floral 601-894-5524
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
The Staff of Stringer Funeral Home
January 6, 2026
Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.
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28023 Highway 28, Hazlehurst, MS 39083
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