Doris Sue Freedman

Born Doris Sue Freedman in 1944 in Washington, PA to Raymond A. Freedman and the former Miriam Weiss, she was a graduate of Trinity High School, the University of Pittsburgh, and Georgetown Law Center.

A long-time Washingtonian, she started her career in the early 1970s as a congressional legislative assistant. Following the Watergate hearings, she co-authored with Representative Ed Mezvinsky an article for the Georgetown Law Journal, making the case for tax evasion as a legitimate ground for impeachment, with no way of knowing that argument would become relevant again some 40 years later. She was also a visiting professor at the University of Iowa, teaching administrative law.

Doris had a storied 30-year career as a government attorney, rising through the ranks drafting regulations and legislation, and ultimately becoming an expert on public policies affecting small businesses. A child of small business owners herself, she became a passionate advocate for them, and testified before Congress innumerable times through her work with the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration, where she rose to become Acting Chief Counsel. Following her government service, she served as Policy Director for the National Commission on Entrepreneurship.

She was a small business owner, as one of the founders of a catering company called Bittersweet, which still exists in Old Town Alexandria.

After retirement, Doris would not stop working; it simply was not in her nature. She manned a cash register at Barnes & Noble, and a typewriter as an administrative assistant. She was a board member of Art and Remembrance, an arts and educational non-profit that fosters art and personal narrative to recognize individual courage and resilience. In later years, she volunteered weekday mornings at Food & Friends, where in addition to her culinary talents, she also brought with her a “coffee break” requirement, which will hopefully become part of her legacy.

Doris was so many things – she was the “cool” aunt; the world traveler who also visited all 50 U.S. states; the political junkie; the accomplished cook. Above all, she was the best friend. Those in her inner circle are far too many to name, but they know who they are and they know how much they were loved. There was no escaping her grasp – once you were in, you were in for life, and so were all of your family members. She collected so many friends that every summer she would head off on what she called her “Mooch March” -- a months’ long endeavor to visit friends all across the country, from Peaks Island, Maine to Charlevoix, Michigan, and from Santa Fe and San Francisco.

In addition to her many, many friends, she is survived by her nieces Mary McFall Hopper of Ridley Park, PA, and Elizabeth (John) Leddy of Atlanta, GA; her nephew Ray (Joanne) McFall of Springfield, PA; and six grandnieces and grandnephews. She was recently preceded in death by her sister, Edith Freedman McFall.

A memorial service will be held at Joseph Gawler’s Sons, 5130 Wisconsin Ave, Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 10, at 11:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the organizations Doris supported, such as Food & Friends, a community-based organization providing home-delivered medically tailored meals for those living with serious illness, and Feeding America.