John Oscar Freeman, Sr., son of the late George and Annie Laurie Freeman, passed away peacefully on April 22, 2019. John was born on October 12, 1930 in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up in Woodlawn and attended Woodlawn High School, Vanderbilt University and University of Alabama. At an early age, John professed his faith in Jesus and led anyone he could to the hope he found in his Savior. His first job was with ACIPCO in Birmingham, but soon after, he discovered his love for construction at the very young age of 19 and helped build the Twin Lake homes community in the Huffman area. John quickly obtained his general contractors license and went on to build over 34 schools, many churches, apartments, businesses, and well over 250 homes in the Birmingham metro area. He held the oldest active general contractors license in the state of Alabama and was still very passionate about his work. In October 2001, John was hired by the Town of Mt Laurel and quickly fell in love with the quaint community where he was the unofficial "Town Mayor" and oversaw the development and construction for over 15 years. If you knew John, you would soon discover his passion for Alabama football. Being a good friend of the late Bear Bryant, John was an active member in the Alabama booster club during the 1960s and 70s. But his love for the game and his team continued his entire life. Love for Alabama football is part of the legacy John has passed down to his entire family.John will be remembered as one of the kindest, most generous men people have ever known. He was always eager to help anyone in need and would go above and beyond to make anyone feel welcomed and taken care of. He also never missed an opportunity to talk about his love for Jesus and the peace that comes from a relationship with Him.With the many passions John had in his life, he had one love that surpassed everything else, his family. John is survived by his wife, Marie Craft Freeman, whom he lovingly called "Sugar", and their six children: Margaret Freeman Johnson (Jess Alan), John O. Freeman (Zanna), Laura Freeman Elledge, Lisa Freeman Crumley (Jim), Neely Phillips Dison (Miika), and C. Bryan Phillips (Misty), 17 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and counting. He was preceded in death by his brother, George C. Freeman, Jr. The visitation will be held on Thursday, April 25 from 9:30 AM to 11 AM and funeral service to follow at 11 AM at Double Oak Community Church in the Town of Mt Laurel.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and the Lupus Foundation.
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