Mirelle Freedman

Mirelle (née Resnik) Freedman was born on March 31, 1944, in Boston, MA, to Jacob and Esther Lillian "Tootsie" (née Glasberg) Resnik. She passed away on the evening of December 8, 2025, surrounded by family and wrapped in a great tide of love.

Mirelle grew up in Newton, MA where she excelled as a young ballet dancer. She studied at Boston University, graduating from the Theater Department. It was there that she met Sheldon Freedman in an English class – he was the "cute guy in chinos" who sat in front of her. Shel and Mirelle fell in love and were married on July 2, 1967, in Framingham, Massachusetts. Through her words and actions, she always showed respect, kindness, and care for Shel. Throughout their 57 years of marriage, they were each other's strength.

The couple welcomed three children, and as a mother, Mirelle was creative, encouraging, fun, loving, and unfailingly supportive. She never missed an opportunity to tell her children (and grandchildren) how proud she was of them. Her Jewish faith was central to her identity throughout her life. Together with Shel and their children, the family built and maintained many holiday traditions. Mirelle was, hands-down, the best kugel chef and matzo ball soup maker.

Mirelle's career included founding "The Balloon Man", a sole-proprietor small business, in the 1980s, where she created and delivered colorful balloon bouquets for joyous celebrations. She held a variety of management roles throughout her career including managing a market research office, leading the Connecticut Girl Scout Council, and, finally, serving as the executive director of the Capital Area Substance Abuse Council, where she led community substance abuse education and prevention initiatives throughout Connecticut.

Mirelle's passions included genealogy, and, as a member of The Villages Memoir Writing group, she eloquently penned dozens of personal pieces long cherished by her family.

Alongside her lifelong travel partner, Shel, she enjoyed exploring the world, especially just before and after retiring to The Villages in 2011. Their most memorable trips included cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska, and Europe. Never a thrill seeker herself, "It'll be fun!"-Shel was always up for adventure and Mirelle trusted him whether parasailing, dancing on a Jamaican catamaran, hiking along an Alaskan glacier, or riding in a hot air balloon.

Deep friendships were always integral to who she was. Mirelle cherished both her lifelong friendships and her more recent Villagers bonds tremendously.

Mirelle is survived by her children: Jason Freedman and his wife, Karen, of Cumberland, Rhode Island; Matt Freedman and his wife, Faith, of Falmouth, Maine; Rachel Freedman and her husband, Pavol Popovic, of Washington, D.C.

She also leaves behind six grandchildren who each held a special place in her proud heart: Maya, Jacob and his fiancé Briana, Gabe, Avery, Dan, and Kenzie. Mirelle was predeceased by her sister Loraine Resnik and her sister-in-law Alezah Eisenstein and brother-in-law Ike Eisenstein. She also leaves behind nieces and nephews: Amy Daniels and her husband Scott, Bob Eisenstein and his wife Maureen, Lynn Eisenstein Dreyfus, and Marty Eisenstein and his wife Tonia, as well as their children, who were dear to her, too.