Marilyn DeGoede Freeman

Marilyn DeGoede Freeman passed away at Cheshire Medical Center on September 28, 2023, following a period of declining health. She was born May 11, 1932, in Jamestown, New York to Wiebrand “Abe” DeGoede and Bertha Parker DeGoede.

After graduating from Jamestown High School in 1950, she graduated from St. Luke’s School of Nursing in 1953 and Baldwin Wallace College in 1954, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and was a sister of Beta Sigma Omicron. Marilyn cherished the lifelong friendships she made with her high school and college classmates.

Following graduation, she worked as a pediatric R.N. at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio where she met her soulmate and future husband, Dr. Allan Garrett Freeman. Marilyn and Gary married on July 13, 1957, at the First Methodist Church in Jamestown, NY. Following the completion of her husband’s internship and residency, they settled in Keene, NH where they raised a family of four at their long-time home at 580 West Street.

Marilyn, a caring and generous woman, loved to help others. Family and friends were central in her life and becoming a mother and grandmother were her most cherished roles. She loved to read and travel, hosting family vacations on Cape Cod.

She was a long-standing member of St. James Episcopal Church, the Spofford Yacht Club, the Ashuelot chapter of the DAR and was active volunteering for local charities throughout her life.

Marilyn was preceded in her death by her parents, her beloved husband, and dear cousin Lois Isaacson.

She is survived by her four loving children, Douglas Freeman and Janet Freeman, of Keene, NH, Katherine (Jeffrey) Slade, of North Bennington, VT, and Christopher (Sarah) Freeman of Menomonie, WI; her grandchildren, Jennifer Slade (Yonnatan) Arcila, Andrew Slade, Rowan Freeman, and Levi Freeman; her nieces Stephanie (Harry) Kolb, Susannah (Dan) Rumberger, Ellen (Ray) Touzin, and Sherri (John) Sabio; and long-time dear friends, Dorothy Herr and Betty DiGiulio.

The family will be in attendance for calling hours at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene on Thursday, October 12th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. A funeral service will take place at St. James Episcopal Church, 44 West Street Keene on Friday, October 13th at 11:00 AM with burial to follow at Monadnock View Cemetery, Park Ave, Keene, NH.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to either the Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities, 91 Maple Ave, Keene, NH (www.Cedarcrest4Kids.org) or the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446 (www.MonadnockHumaneSociety.org).