Michael Freeman

1943 - 2025

Michael Freeman
06/16/1943 - 03/17/2025
Michael was a third generation San Franciscan who attended Sutro Elementary, Presidio Middle School, Washington High School and UC Berkeley. He was a bike messenger in San Francisco and known as the "tortoise." Michael was an expert model builder and a voracious reader. I remember coming home from high school and he was reading the Encyclopedia. Every day for months, he was expanding his mind. He loved riding his bicycle for work and play. He would ride his bike to San Mateo as he loved their library. He loved opera and classical music.
He was a loving son, brother, uncle and brother-in-law. Michael tried to teach me how to play golf. I carried the clubs, nine holes in Golden Gate Park. I never played again. As Mark Twain said, "Golf is a beautiful walk, ruined." He was predeceased by Anthony "Tony" Freeman, his mother Nancy Freeman and father Francis Freeman.
He worked many jobs, a haberdasher at Macy's, a furniture delivery man, he was an amazing donut maker on 10th and Geary at the family business, the Donut Bowl, and later at Fulton and Masonic. Michael was a bike messenger for 35 years and retired at the age of 72 (maximum social security). He was frugal. He heated beans on the pilot light of an older stove. He had a great sense of humor and made many laugh. He loved model airplanes, cars and motorcycles. He taught himself calculus from reading books and was a wizard with the Texas Instrument Calculator.
The family would like to thank his caregivers at Healthy Living Home Care and Sagebrook in San Francisco. Michael loved science and math and chose to donate his body to science. A private family gathering will happen in the future. He is survived by me, his brother, Greg Freeman, sisters-in-law, Pauline Peele and Tory Brady, and nieces, Tori Freeman, and Vega Freeman-Brady (Giuseppe Manna), nephew, Jesse Upton, great-nephews and nieces, Matteo, Lorenzo, Zoë, and Sasha.
Michael once said, "Life goes by quickly whether or not you are having fun, so you might as well have fun." Donations can be made in his memory to your favorite library or the San Francisco Opera.