Photos of John and Dottie Freed

John was born in the Franconia area of Pennsylvania and spent much of his youth on the farm where most of the rest of his eleven brothers and sisters were born. Dottie also grew up on a farm, but it was in Lancaster county. She had ten brothers and sisters. John and Dottie met in New York City. John was in 1W service, and Dottie was in Mennonite Voluntary Service. Here are wedding pictures of Dottie and John. Since that time they have had a special affection for New York, and traveled to see some of their New York friends on their way to Florida earlier this year. While at Berne in 1998 they visited New York with a group from the church and they took several more photos there.

We have yet to find all of the treasure trove of New York photographs from the sixties, but here is one. They stayed in New York until 1968 when they moved to Harrisonburg VA for John to finish his college degree at Eastern Mennonite College. Dottie continued to focus on homemaking during this time. This photo is likely from that period.

After graduating in 1969 John spent one year at EMC as Dean of Men, then went to Towamencin Mennonite Church as pastor (here with the youth group). The children, Lamar and Dottie Jean (she still used both names until High School) were soon in Christopher Dock High School and Dottie had more time. She started to work at Indian Creek Homes as a part time resident advisor while she took courses towards her associates degree in mental health. This photo is from around that time.

The years following John's five year pastorate at Towamencin continued to be eventful. The children both graduated from Christopher Dock and went on to College. Lamar graduated from Goshen College in 1979 and daughter Dottie graduated from EMC in 1980. By that time John and Dottie had moved to Philadelphia where John initially worked at the Mennonite witness to the Bi-centennial called The Meetinghouse, and later served as the Coordinator of the Philadelphia Mennonite Council, part time pastor at First Mennonite Church of Huntington Valley and as part time chaplain at Fox Chase Cancer Center and later at Nazareth Hospital. Dottie got a job she enjoyed serving people with chronic mental illness at Westmont. John pursued masters work at Eastern Baptist Seminary where he graduated in 1979, though we don't have pictures. We do have a picture of them with Lamar ten years later at his graduation.

During these years, John and Dottie introduced both of their children to their future spouses, Susan Moyer, and Phil Baumgarten, seen here with the family in a group picture at Lamar and Susan's wedding in 1983. Dottie and Phil were married several months later. John was particularly happy to officiate at Lamar and Susan's wedding and to preach at Dottie and Phil's wedding. It was also during these years that Lamar preached two sermons prominantly featuring his father at First Mennonite Church of Huntington Valley.

Throughout the years they continued to be close to family. Dottie occasionally got to travel out to the Lancaster area to be with her family while John made it to slightly more frequent gatherings of his family. They also kept up with a great network of friends who they accumulated over the years, many of whom came to see them at the celebration of John's 60th birthday, from which this family photo was taken. These years in Philadelphia also saw the arrival of their grandchildren Joni (as a toddler) and Kirk (more recent).

They also maintained a very high interest in continued learning and in getting to know other people. John got continued credentials in counseling, and Dottie attended numerous educational seminars. They maintained friends at a distance and made new ones. In recent years friends they made in the Academy of Parish Clergy, where John was a fellow, were particularly important to them. We don't have any photos of these activities at this time.

Tiring of splitting his time at half time jobs that often were far more then half time, John decided to pursue interim assignments in 1993. He first went to Martin's Mennonite Church in Ohio, and then took a three year assignment in Indiana at the First Mennonite Church of Berne that finished in December of 1998. During this time the family saw them much less frequently, but regularly. They continued to see their children and grandchildren on trips east as often as four times a year, though never frequently enough for Dottie to get enough of Joni and Kirk. A highlight of these years was a trip the family made to Quebec City in 1997 (Lamar is taking the photo).

Another significant trip was the one they made to Florida this February. Spending several weeks with their old friends Paul and Mim Burkholder, they also visited many other friends on the trip there and back. As usual, when they were with friends, that had a good time and enjoyed seeing the world and getting into the moment. The trip to Michigan on which they died was no exception. Photos taken there at the Hermatage the weekend before they died show them enjoying their friends both old and new.

We will put up more photos as we find them and as they come in on another page. We also have other memorabilia including the obituaries from several papers and material from the funeral.

Throughout their lives John and Dottie Freed maintained a sense of calling and pursued devotion to God, in whose hands we must now leave them.

We will miss you.