John Freeman

John Henry Freeman, 76, of Sarasota, FL and Orleans, MA, and formerly of Glen Head, Long Island, peacefully passed away after a long illness at Epoch Assisted Living at Brewster Place on January 31, 2015. John was born on March 16, 1938 to Charles O. Freeman and Dorothy Moulton Freeman on Brick Hill Road in Orleans. He was predeceased by his parents and a brother, Robert L. Freeman. A graduate of Orleans High School in 1956 and Harvard College in 1960, he obtained his masters degree in education at Tufts University in 1961. While at Harvard, he played varsity baseball, and for several summers he was a catcher for both Orleans Cardinals and Yarmouth-Dennis teams in the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a longtime lover of the game who recognized the increased stature and popularity of the league, he was instrumental in having former Orleans player, and his manager, Pete Peterson, inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2012, recognizing him for helping transition the league -- supplementing local talent with national talent. For 36 years he lived on Long Island where he taught math and science with Roslyn Public Schools. He also tutored and coached baseball and varsity soccer. In 1978, his varsity team the Roslyn Hilltoppers won the first state-wide championship in soccer and again in 1980. He was a long time member and past president of the Nassau County Soccer Coaches Association. With his passion for the game, he was also a contributor to the Long Island Junior Soccer League during the years of its explosive growth in the 1970s and 1980s. He also held leadership roles with the Glenwood-Glen Head Junior Baseball League. After retirement from teaching, he coached boys soccer at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, NY. In between school years he returned to Orleans, continuing his dedication to working with youth, as Summer Director of the Orleans Recreation Commission for over twenty years and coached Pony League baseball for much of that time. During his tenure, he acted as a tireless mentor to countless young people on the Cape. And for the last decade of his life, he enjoyed working summers at Nauset Beach. In retirement, he split his time between Siesta Key, Florida and Cape Cod, where he enjoyed reading and collecting 1950s music. He was a member of the Harvard Club of Cape Cod and Sarasota, Ivy League Club and Orleans Yacht Club, where he learned to sail; he was active in numerous civic associations. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, the fraternal benefit society, and parishioner of Church of St. Marys in Roslyn, NY, St. Michael Archangel Church in Sarasota, and St. Joan of Arc Church in Orleans. John is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 50 years, Mary Elizabeth (Chickie) Freeman; four devoted children, two sons, James P. Freeman of Orleans and John R. Freeman -- and his wife Donna, of Southborough and Brewster, MA; two daughters, Colleen E. Freeman of Canton, MA, and Patricia F. Boutilier -- and her husband Corey of Greenwich, CT and Northfield, NH; and three cherished grandchildren, Patrick and Caroline Freeman and Charlie Boutilier. He is also survived by three sisters, Irene Doane of Orleans, MA; Eleanor Lewis of Barnstable, MA; Harriet Emond of Eastham, MA and Lake Placid, FL, and many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours will be at the Nickerson Funeral Home, 77 Eldridge Parkway, Orleans, MA, on Wednesday, February 4 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Joan of Arc Church, 61 Canal Road, Orleans, MA on Thursday, February 5 at 11:00 am. Online condolences may be offered by visiting www.nickersonfunerals.com.