Duane Freeman

Services are 11 a.m. Monday, May 5, 2008 at First St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Hastings, NE. No viewing Duane was cremated. Family visitation Sunday, May 4, 2008, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Livingston-Butler-Volland Funeral Home, 1225 N. Elm, in Hastings. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Duane Freeman Memorial Fund for the establishment of a scholarship and to benefit other charities.

Duane was born October 16, 1929 in Hildreth, NE to Rollin Freeman and Selma Christianson Freeman. He graduated from Hildreth High School in 1946 and attended Doane College for one year. In 1947 his family moved to Holbrook. Duane helped on the family farm and worked for the Nebraska Road Department and the REA before he returned to college in Kearney. In 1952, Duane and Beverly (Mues) Freeman were married. In 1953, he graduated from Kearney State College. Duane taught math in various Nebraska schools and coached basketball and track. He also served as Superintendent in Lodgepole and West Point. He continued his pursuit of lifelong learning and spent many summers attending summer school and eventually earned Masters and Specialist degrees. The Freeman family moved to Hastings in 1969 where Duane served as assistant principal at Hastings Senior High School for 23 years and retired in 1992. Duane was a member of First St. Paul's Lutheran Church and served in several leadership positions. He was a past member of Lochland Country Club, Lions Club and various professional associations.

He is survived by his wife, Bev; four children and their spouses: Sandra and Dave Berkland, Lincoln; Diane and Doug Phelps, Hastings; Trish and Matt Reimer, Lincoln; Gary and Susan Freeman, Omaha. Six granddaughters: Katie and Josh Reynolds, Hastings; Jessica and Sean Ablott, Hastings; Ann Phelps, New Haven, CT; Betsy and Emmy Reimer, Lincoln; and Alyssa Freeman, Omaha. Three great-grandchildren: Hannah and Rebekah Reynolds, Parker Ablott, Hastings; his sister Marlene and Jim Hancock of Scottsbluff, sister-in-law Dot Henry of Kearney, and nieces, nephews and cousins.