Patrick Joseph Freeman

1956 - 2026

Oct 3, 1956 - Mar 6, 2026

Patrick Joseph Freeman died on March 6, 2026, in Olympia, Washington, of cancer. He was born on October 3, 1956, in San Francisco, to Edwin Sidney Freeman and Margaret Hyland Freeman, the last of their four children.

Pat was three when his mother died, and eight when his father died. He and his siblings then moved to Spokane to live with an uncle's family. At age 11, he moved in with his 19-year old sister Maureen. Maureen sought the custody of Pat and his brother, even though it meant she had to try to balance those responsibilities with college and a minimum wage job. Having survived Pat's teenaged years, Maureen later became an active member and leader in the foster parent community.

At age 18, Pat joined the Marine Corps, serving as Chinese language voice intercept operator, ending with the rank of Sergeant. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1984 with a degree in Asian Studies (Chinese politics). Following a year at the National Security Agency, Pat joined the U.S. State Department in 1986 as a Political Officer, a job he learned requires specialized reporting and lobbying on topics of interest to the USG, and frequent work as a tour guide for visitors of all ranks from Washingtonm, DC. After a consular assignment in London (1986-1987), he worked as a political officer in Kuala Lumpur (1988-1990), the State Department's China desk (1990-1992), Beijing (1992-1996), Dhaka (1997-2000), Singapore (2000-2004), and Ulaanbaatar (2005-2007). He received two Superior Honor awards and the Sinclaire Language Award. He achieved at least professional working proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Bengali, and Mongolian.

He met his wife, Anne Wan, during his assignment in Kuala Lumpur. She described herself as Pat's most expensive souvenir of his time in Malaysia. Son, Tim, joined the family during their time in Beijing, and daughter, Rachel, during their time in Singapore.

In 2007, Pat retired from the Foreign Service to Moscow, Idaho, where his sister, Cathy, had long lived. From 2009-2016, Pat worked as the University of Idaho-employed admin assistant in the Military Science (Army ROTC) department. In 2017, Pat and family moved to Olympia, where they enjoyed the nearby hiking and camping opportunities.

Pat is survived by Anne, Tim and Rachel; as well as his sister, Cathy (Chick) Mabbutt. His sister, Maureen and brother, Kevin predeceased him. At Pat's request, no service will be held.