Willard D. "Bill" Freeman

Willard D. “Bill” Freeman, age 93, of New Philadelphia, passed away Thursday, January 4, 2018, in Union Hospital, Dover, following a brief illness.

Born May 21, 1924, in Leesville, he was a son of the late George M. and Edna M. Mildren Freeman. Bill graduated from Dennison High School and went on to serve honorably with the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War. He married Dorothy Jean West on June 21, 1946, and the couple reared two children and shared 70 years of marriage prior to Dorothy Jean’s passing on April 4, 2017. Bill was employed by the former I.F. Manufacturing - Ridge Tool Co., New Philadelphia, from which he retired after nearly 30 years of service.

He enjoyed fishing at the family’s cottage on Tappan Lake, camping, traveling, flying model airplanes and taking his grandchildren to Tuscora Park when they were young. Bill was fond of dogs - all animals really - and had several special companions over the years. Additionally, he was a life member of the New Philadelphia post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Survivors include his son, Timothy A. “Tim” (Debbie) Freeman of New Philadelphia; his son-in-law, Richard “Rick” Maurer also of New Philadelphia; his grandchildren, Kimberly Maurer Henderson, Kevin R. Maurer, Tiffany L. (Tyler) Moore and Timothy A. (Amanda) Freeman II; his great-granddaughter, Kaylynn Carpenter; and his many nieces and nephews.
Besides his parents, and his beloved wife, Dorothy Jean, Bill was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Sue Maurer; his granddaughter, SuAnn Freeman; and his five sisters and four brothers.

A funeral service will be held Monday, January 8, at 2 p.m., in the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory, Dover. Burial will be in Dover’s Ridgecrest Memory Gardens where military rites will be conducted. Following the committal, there will be a luncheon in the Toland-Herzig Monarch Center on the Boulevard in Dover. Family and friends are invited to call at the funeral home on Sunday, January 7, 2 - 4 p.m. To sign an online guestbook and share a fond memory of Bill, please visit the obituaries link on the Toland-Herzig website.

The family suggests that contributions in Bill’s memory be made to Community Hospice, 716 Commercial Ave. S.W., New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663.