01/21/2025
Its’ with great sadness, I announce the passing of Robert Willis Freeman, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle & friend. Bob passed away on November 29, 2024, at the age of 76. Bob was born on April 4, 1948, in Compton, California. In 1951 the family moved to Lakeport, California, and finally to Alaska in 1960. Some of Bob’s fondest memories are of the time the family lived in Lakeport. Bob and his older brother Skip spent many long hours roaming the 50-acre property they lived on. Both brothers often told stories of how his father would bring home old vehicles from the wrecking yard he owned. The boys learned to drive when they were just 7 and 10 and had a great time teaching their classmates how to drive.
Bob’s oldest brother, Mike, was 10 years older and therefore missed some of that closeness with Bob in his early years. He does recall that Bob was a daredevil even at an early age. Once they were in Alaska it was a different story. Their father taught his boys hard work at a young age. When Bob was 14 or 15 his dad dropped him off at Lake Louise to work. Bob had a great time that summer and talked about it often. It also included his father paying a stranger with an airplane to take Bob to the Kenai Lake Lodge after the 1964 earthquake because he had secured a job for Bob there and the road was closed because of the earthquake. One of the jobs Bob’s father got for him (at a young age) was as a pilot on a crew boat in Cook Inlet. This job was probably the most helpful one he had in preparing Bob for his life and business in Beluga. This was especially true when it came to building a ramp each time a barge would come to Beluga so he could unload and reload the barges. Knowing the tides in Cook Inlet was a major part of being able to do this sometimes-dangerous part of the business.
Bob had true character, made lifelong friends, had an incredible memory, and was the best storyteller most of us had ever met. His family had great pride in seeing him create a successful business through hard work, often seven days a week. His great skills and work ethic made him the go-to man in Beluga for everything from road and drill pad construction to fuel distribution. He also saw a need in a small community for a grocery store and gas station. All his children and most other family members who came to Beluga have worked in the store at one time or another.
There were many great times with Bob in Beluga. Bob’s nieces and nephews spent many summers in Beluga with Bob’s family, He usually put them to work if there was a job that they could do. He taught most of them how to drive, fish, shoot and how to explore the wilds of the West Side of Cook Inlet. When his children and his nieces and nephews got older and had families, he taught those children many of those same things. He was also fond of bringing the small kids into the cab of heavy equipment and letting them think they were doing the driving.
Bob was honest, hardworking, principled, and passionate, representing the best of what it means to be a true Alaskan.
Bob is survived by his wife, Gloria, his children, Laramie Yogi, Seth Freeman, James (Rachel) Freeman, Katelyn (Rob) Hernandez, and Kyleen (Jesse) Freeman, his stepdaughter, Gidgette Goldstein, and his stepson, Lawrence Lawson, his grandchildren, Leighton (Ryane) Erickson, Jeremiah Freeman, and Oak Freeman, his brothers Mike (Jan) and Skip (Linda), as well as several nieces and nephews and their children.
A memorial service will be held on February 15th at 1:30 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church located at 3230 Lake Otis Parkway, Anchorage, Alaska.
