Gerda K. Freedheim

Our mother was a fiercely independent and courageous woman, far ahead of her time. In August 1953, 17-year-old Gerda Kilian boarded a train, by herself, from her small hometown in upstate New York. Determined to go to college in Boston, she was headed for an interview at the all-women’s Simmons College (now Simmons University). She had never been to Boston. She arrived travel-weary and was soaked after walking through a rainstorm from the train station to the campus only to learn she was a day early. Fortunately, the Dean of Admissions happened to be in. Impressed with her initiative and poise, she was admitted on the spot. Her college experience launched into a lifelong passion for learning and service. It was the city where she met the love of her life.

Gerda Kilian Freedheim died peacefully in her sleep on June 29, 2025. She was 89 years old. And although her last few years saw her decline with dementia, she never lost her love for family or her drive to be independent.

Gerda was born April 27, 1936, and she and her younger brother, Fred, were raised on the banks of the Genesee River in Baldwinsville, NY.

A dedicated social worker, educator, and lifelong advocate for human rights, Gerda leaves a legacy defined by service, compassion, and justice. She devoted her life to community service and social equity. Her impactful career and scholarly work reflected a deep commitment to challenging injustice and empowering others. She was passionate about education and after earning her undergraduate degree, she went on to earn two Master degrees: in Social Service Administration at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and in Business Administration at Cleveland State University.

Over a distinguished thirty-year career, she was an Associate Director at the Federation for Community Planning (now the Center for Community Solutions) in Cleveland, the Director of Policy and Planning at the Mid-America Consulting Group, and she was an Adjunct Instructor at the School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU. She was the author of several publications on human rights and social service delivery systems. She was honored in Who’s Who in American Women and Leadership Cleveland. In the 1980’s she was listed as one of the 100 most influential women in Cleveland. In 2012, she adapted the memoirs of her maternal grandfather, Frederick Maehle, into a book chronicling his family’s survival and struggles from his Estonian boyhood to his family living in Lodz, Poland during WWI and into WWII.

She was smart and loving, wise and complex. She loved her friends and was loved by them. She delighted in bringing people together and making everyone feel welcome. She was extraordinarily warm and kindhearted. She encouraged and took enormous pride in her daughters’ music, sports, theatre and inspired their careers in service to others. She was voraciously curious and very well read. She was witty and could always be depended upon to speak her mind.

At age 21, she fell head over heels in love with Donald Freedheim at Arnie’s Party on November 9, 1957 and that night she told her roommate, Joan Lee, she had met her husband. She had. They married on August 31, 1958. She told her husband they would have three daughters. They did.

They raised their family in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She was an extraordinary cook, always eager to expand her daughters' palates, encouraging them—and their friends—to try her creations. She and Don had a wonderful life filled with lots of love, laughter and travel adventures traversing the United States and Canada and visiting over 100 countries and all seven continents. Family travels were especially cherished, often spent camping under the stars, with songs around the fire as she strummed her guitar. From 1973-1974 the family lived in Israel, embracing new experiences together. And when grandchildren arrived, they made it a tradition to gather the whole family for annual vacations, creating lasting memories across generations.

Her commitment to combatting racism and antisemitism was forged in 1958, while living in North Carolina, while Don completed his PhD. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the few groundbreaking leaders who helped end the passive approval of racial discrimination in Cleveland Heights during her cutting-edge work with Citizens for Open Housing, Fair Housing, Inc, and the Legal Aid Society from 1964-1972. She was tireless in her efforts to transform her community and country into a more inclusive and equitable place. She was ferociously pro-choice, a strong supporter of women’s equality and championed rights for LGBTQ.

While her accomplishments were important and many, her love of family, and the model she and Don passed on to their daughters and grandchildren will continue to be her enduring legacy.

She is survived by her devoted daughters Amy Freedheim (Yvonne Curtis), Julie Bargeski (Mark), Sara Newman (David); her beloved grandchildren, Alisa and Rachel Bargeski, Ben Freedheim, and Sharon, Emily, and Carolyn Newman. Her brother Fred Kilian (Barbara), her brothers-in-law, David Freedheim, and Don Collins, and her nephews and nieces. Her beloved husband died in May 2023.

A celebration of life for Gerda Freedheim is planned for Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 1pm in Cleveland. For those who wish to attend please RSVP to [email protected] and details regarding the event will follow.

Instead of flowers, do an act of kindness. Instead of a card, share a memory, a message or send your condolences below.

Donations in Honor of Gerda and Donald to support the Case Western Reserve University Departments of Psychology and Social Work can be made at the link below: http://case.edu/give

In the Designation Field, please select 'Other', then type. "Gerda K. and Donald K. Freedheim Fund.

May her memory be a blessing.