Dewey "Ed" Freeman

Dewey “Ed” Freeman, Jr., age 91, of Gulfport, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

Ed was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Barbara Freeman; his mother, Ila Faye Houck Sinclair; his father, Dewey Edward Freeman, Sr.; his daughter, Elizabeth Freeman Watson; and his brother, Hubert Freeman.

He is survived by his children, Russell E. Freeman (Karen) and Lisa Dolin (Alan); his grandchildren, Allison Wright (Billy), Lindsay Johnson (Jeff), Courtney Jobe (Danny), Wayne Watson III (Lindsey), Scott Watson, Ryan Watson, and Faith Dolin; his sister-in-law, Frances Freeman; and many great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Ed was born in 1932 and grew up in Anniston, Alabama during The Great Depression and WWII.  He joined the US Air Force in 1949 along with his older brother, Hubert. Ed participated in the Atomic Bomb testing in White Sands, New Mexico in the early 1950’s, and in Operation Ivy, the Hydrogen Bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean in 1952.

He married Barbara from his hometown in 1953. They were married 66 years until she passed away in July 2019. Ed retired from the USAF in 1972 after 23 years of service and moved from Texas to Gulfport. Among other assignments in the USAF, he was a USAF college campus recruiter in the early 1960’s and military postal installation inspector from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s. He worked for US Civil Service starting in 1973 for 22 years as a Veteran’s Benefits Counselor at the Biloxi VA and Gulfport VA hospitals.

His hobbies were reading, yard work, traveling, serving on the credit union board of directors, and serving on the church finance committee. He also enjoyed crossword puzzles, dominoes, and other games. Ed was a faithful Christian for 70 years and was a member of Grace Memorial Baptist Church where he faithfully served in many leadership roles since 1972 .

Visitation will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023, from 1:00-2:00pm, at Riemann Family Funeral Home, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport. The funeral service will be at 2:00pm, with interment to follow at Floral Hills Cemetery in Gulfport.

Please visit www.riemannfamily.com where memories and photos may be shared.