Robert "Bob" Freedman

Robert "Bob" Freedman passed away on April 15, 2026 at the age of 89. Born January 10, 1937 to the late Ralph and Hilda Freedman in Boston, he was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, June (Mather) Freedman, and his older sister, Marilyn (Freedman) Rosenbaum. He is survived by his daughter Rana Freedman of Oakland CA, son and daughter-in-law, Jeremy and Erin Freedman, and granddaughters Ella and Charlotte Freedman of Reston VA -- and an extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Bob grew up working poor in Roxbury and lived in Massachusetts for almost his entire life. He attended Boston Latin (’54) and received his B.A. from Brandeis University in 1958. He continued at Northeastern University School of Law and worked as an attorney in Boston until 1999. He met June at a folk dance in Cambridge in 1969, and they married and bought a house in Hingham in 1972. They lived there together for almost 50 years, until her death in 2021. Despite being a huge change, at the age of 86 he moved to Virginia in 2023 to be closer to his son.

Bob was a world-adventurer, traveling extensively during his lifetime. These experiences included a stint in Texas while enlisted in the Army Reserves, taking advantage of weekends off to visit many parts of Mexico; working as a copyright attorney for the Library of Congress in Washington DC in the early 1960s; backpacking Central America, Europe, and the Middle East throughout the 1960s; honeymooning in Peru in 1972, documented by exquisite photos of a tourist-free Machu Picchu; humanitarian aid trips to Ethiopia in the late 1980s; and vacations with his wife and family throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, India, Russia, and New Zealand.

He loved his family, collecting antique maps and rare books, Jewish history, civil rights, watching movies and old musicals, visiting the National Parks, petting cats, befriending dogs, walking llamas, keeping bees, eating dessert, having breakfast at Niko’s in East Weymouth, and reading outside under the pine trees in his backyard.

Bob’s kindness was legendary. Although an introvert, he took a sincere interest in each person he encountered, asking them about their lives and treating them with courtesy and respect. In his final years, his home health aides and caretakers would request to be assigned to him, as they enjoyed his company, gentleness, and appreciation for their work.

A graveside service will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 1:45pm at Sharon Memorial Park, Sharon, MA.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bob’s memory may be made to the ACLU or The Trustees of Reservations.