Van Ray Freeman

Van Ray Freeman, 73, passed away on May, 28, 2020. Van was born on October 6, 1946 in Berwick, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of the five children of Van Gilbert Freeman and Lois Dawn Adams Freeman. His siblings were Barry, Dennis, Cynthia, and Terri. He lived mainly in the Berwick area while growing up, but moved to Dillsburg, Pennsylvania where he graduated from high school in 1964. After graduation, he worked in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. One of the things he enjoyed doing was going with his friends to Red Rock Bible Camp on weekends where he met a young lady, Pat Winans. After joining the Navy, they kept touch through the mail and he asked her to be his wife. They were married on December 17, 1966. They began their married life in California, then moving for a few months to Colorado for school, before finally being stationed in Charleston, SC. They welcomed their son, Van Ray in October of 1967. Van was later stationed in Rota, Spain, where they welcomed their daughter, Tricia in September of 1969. After his two years in Spain, they returned to Charleston and he completed his 9 years of service in the Navy. Upon leaving the Navy, he was hired by Tektronix and relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina which became their home. He also worked for Excide Electronics, before finishing his working career at Caterpillar as a warehouse manager before retiring in 2013. The joy of his life was spending time with his family. The other constant in his life was his church family at Cary Alliance where he wore many hats throughout past the 45 years. Van was preceded in death by his father, Van Gilbert Freeman, his sister Cynthia Force, and his brother Dennis Freeman. Van is survived by his wife of 53 years, Patricia Freeman; his son, Van Freeman, Jr. and wife Wendy; his daughter, Tricia Milligan and husband Brent; his mother Lois Adams Freeman; his brother, Barry Freeman and wife Joan; his sister Terri Belles and husband Timothy; his 10 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter.