Ex-Park Board Member Frances Freeman Dies
Frances (Mitchell) Freeman witnessed a lifetime of change.
She was born Sept. 8, 1915, in Spokane. She grew up in Peaceful Valley.
During World War II, she built bomb sights for military bombers.
Mrs. Freeman, 81, died Thursday. Memorial service will be held Monday at 11 a.m. in the Rose Chapel of Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home, 2203 N. Division.
In 1939, she married Clarence Freeman, also born in Spokane.
“She was beautiful. She had a lovely personality. She was industrious,” said her husband of 57 years.
She chartered a club for black women when local women’s clubs wouldn’t admit women of color. She and her husband rented apartments to black families because white landlords would not.
Mrs. Freeman, who had attended business school, managed the books and also wielded a paint brush, her husband said.
The Freemans prospered. And through the years, they helped others prosper.
In the 1950s, Mrs. Freeman and a group of about 20 black women, including her friend Pauline Young, chartered the Crest Club, a place for black women to meet.
In 1964 she co-chaired Spokane’s first multiracial job fair.
A talented designer, Mrs. Freeman was a member of the Spokane Flower Designer Guild.
She helped raise $50,000 to improve Liberty Park. For 40 years she was a member of the Arborettes Garden Club.
From 1984 to 1994 she served on the Spokane Park Board.
“She was a very gracious civic leader, dedicated to the beautification of the parks and the needs of children,” said Carol S. Barber, Park Board president.
Three weeks ago Mrs. Freeman, happy and smiling, attended the dedication of Manito Park’s Rose Arbor.
“Her laughter was infectious,” said her oldest son, Dr. Clarence T. “Butch” Freeman Jr. “You could tell when Mama was in the room.”
Mrs. Freeman is survived by her husband, Clarence of Spokane; sons Clarence Jr. of Seattle and Frederic of Hollywood, Fla.; a daughter, Sandra L. Sinclair of Seattle; and three grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Medical Center Heart Institute, 122 W. Seventh, Spokane, WA 99204-2325.
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