Linda Elizabeth Frees

Linda Elizabeth (Reedy) Frees, of Middletown, passed away peacefully at approximately 5:00 AM, August 7th, 2025, at St Vincent Regional Hospital in Anderson. She goes now to be with her beloved husband, James (Jim) Frees, and her oldest son, James Joseph (Joe) Frees.

She was a principled person of decency and integrity, and great mother, not only to her own children, but a guiding light to a lot of other people's children as well. On many occasions, I've seen troubled kids, or adults who were troubled because of early trauma in their lives, and thought to myself, "This never would've happened if he/she had a mom like mine."

Mom dedicated her life to children. Not just us, but any who needed consistency and direction from an adult who cared about them. Some of my earliest memories are of the daycare she ran in our home. I still know a lot of people who were dropped off at our house every day, because their parents knew they would have a safe place there to be with other kids and play. Still, she wanted to do more.

When I was in grade school, she went back to college at Ball State University and earned a bachelor's degree in social work. For more than 30 years after earning her degree, she worked for various organizations advocating for abused, troubled and disadvantaged youths. She retired from Marion County Department of Child Services (DCS).

For a lot of kids, she was the only person making sure they were OK, and her impact on those kids' lives and to her community cannot be overstated.

As a kid, I shared my mom with a long list of other kids from all around the state of Indiana, and it wasn't until later in life as I grew and matured that I realized just how important her presence was in the lives of all those kids. I didn't understand that at the time, as a kid myself, because I had the benefit of having her as a mother, which shielded me from the reality faced by many kids in America of not having consistent parents that put their children first.

Her legacy is strong, intertwined with many other families, and she was among the most needed and most precious commodities in our society.

She will be dearly missed by all of us, and by all the children and families whose lives she touched.

Calling will be Wednesday, August 13th at 2:00 - 4:00 pm at Ballard and Sons Funeral Home in Middletown. All are welcome.

You may express condolences or share a memory of Linda at www.ballardandsons.com.