Marcus Ross Freiberger

MOCKSVILLE - Marcus Ross Freiberger, 76, of 1240 Arbor Road, No. 518, Winston-Salem, passed away Wednesday, June 29, 2005, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, Winston-Salem. He was born in Amarillo, Texas, on Nov. 27, 1928. He was the son of the late Varina Shields and Marcus Louis Freiberger. He was retired from Lester Engineering Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. He was a basketball star in high school in Greenville, Texas, and then played at the University of Oklahoma where he was an NCAA All-Midwest team member in 1951 and also part of the East-West All Star team. He was selected as a member of the U.S. Olympic Basketball team while playing for the AAU Caterpillar Tractor Co. of the NIBL and won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1952 Helsinki, Finland, games. He continued to play in the NIBL with Ada Oil Co. from 1954 to 1955 and was selected as an All-Star. He was later inducted into the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. He was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Shirley Weinman Freiberger. Mr. Freiberger is survived by a son, Ronald E. (Lou) Freiberger of Winston-Salem; daughter Nancy J. (Scott) Smythe of Mission Park, Kan.; son James M. (Tere) Freiberger of Mocksville; a sister, Marvel Gwendolyn Holman, of Garland, Texas; and five grandchildren, Lyndsey Freiberger, Sam Smythe, Lily Smythe, Lucy Freiberger and George Freiberger. In addition to his parents, three brothers, Louis Dale, Perry John and Alvin Ira Freiberger, preceded Marcus in death. A memorial service for Mr. Freiberger will be conducted at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5, at Arbor Acres Fellowship Hall, Berrier Building, 1240 Arbor Road, Winston-Salem. Memorials may be made to Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, or to any other local Hospice & Palliative CareCenter. Davie Funeral Service is serving the family of Mr. Freiberger.