On Jan. 31, William Parker Freeman passed away peacefully with family by his side.
On Jan. 31, William Parker Freeman passed away peacefully with family by his side. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Nancy (Boccuto), children, Nancyanne Lerner (Guy), William T. Freeman (Kate), Susan Bellush (Jamie), and brother, Robert Freeman (Jennifer). He was predeceased by his parents, William G. Freeman and Elizabeth Parker Egbert, as well as his brother, James Freeman. Bill leaves the legacy of his 12 adored grandchildren, Mary Kate, Dwyer, Will, Jack, and Patrick Freeman, Frank, Tim, Joe, and Courtney Bellush, Henry Anthony, and Aaron and Rachel Lerner, as well as countless family members, friends and colleagues he held dear.
Bill was born in 1937 in the City of Camden. His father was an FBI agent stationed in Louisville, KY at the time, but due to the Great Flood of 37’, his expectant mother was evacuated and flown to the South Jersey Airport on what now is the Admiral Wilson Blvd. Although he never resided very far from his place of birth, Bill’s life was a wonderful journey.
After WW II, in which his father served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force, the family settled to a farm in Marlton. Bill immediately took to animals winning a blue ribbon in the 4F NJ State Fair for a Black Angus steer which he raised. His focus shifted from livestock to anything that was powered by an internal combustion engine, from Black Angus steer to a prized rebuilt Ford Model A complete with a rumble seat. He attended Haddonfield High School for three years, The Peddie School, and graduated from Moorestown Friends.
Camden was central to his life as that is where he met his wife, Nancy, in 1959. Nancy was taking an accounting course, a visiting student at Rutgers where Bill attended college. Their 58 year journey together started in typical 1959 fashion — sharing coffee and a cigarette. He graduated in 1963 from Rutgers University in Camden in a six year dual undergrad and law degree program. He passed the bar that year and immediately started on his lifelong vocation. He practiced law in Haddonfield for his entire career, initially joining his father (William G.). When Nancy completed her law degree in 1974, she joined her husband’s practice along with her classmate, Richard Barton. Michael Huber joined the firm in 1980, his son, William T. in 1988, and David Sacks in 2000. He retired as senior partner from Freeman, Barton, Huber, and Sacks in 2006. He devoted his practice to the specialty of Worker’s Compensation defense. He was a longtime member of the NJSBA executive committee in worker’s compensation where he represented the interests of industry. He was certified by the NJ Supreme Court in his specialty in 1995. He received the Division’s Antonelli award for professionalism in 1999.
Bill was not all consumed by his vocation, as his love of hobby was a vital component of his life. He became a passionate photographer who built a professional dark room in the family’s first home. His love for engine driven transportation took off, literally, as he earned his pilot’s license in the late 1960’s. Bill became a skilled pilot; so skilled, in fact, that Nancy, ever the nervous sort, permitted Bill to fly her and the entire family in his beloved Cessna on frequent vacations. As in the practice of law, he was meticulous and precise with his hobbies. Bill loved motorcycles, and thought if he purchased one for Nancy that she would enjoy the rush of the open road, a gross miscalculation which thankfully he never demonstrated on landing or take off. His fancy for fast cars never left him and he would car race, trailering his favorite to Lime Rock for competition. Fishing and boating became a large part of his life as well. Bill was a skilled captain/navigator in a time before GPS. He could place the bow of his boat on the inlet bell buoy from 75 miles out with poor visibility in heavy seas. He developed a knack for fishing earning him and his boat, The Suzy-Ann, the Cape May County White Marlin Championship in 1977.
He was Delaware Valley to the core. He loved his professional sports teams. He was a season ticket holder to both the Flyers and the Eagles. His favorite was hockey being a permeant resident in section O from the day the Spectrum opened until it closed, where he witnessed two Stanley Cups. He and his family were also fortunate to be among the 17,007 who participated in chasing the Soviet Red Army Team off the Spectrum ice in 1976.
To the end, Bill cherished his family and his friends and he thought of his partners as brothers. He had a loyal staff at his law office; he thought and treated them as family. Those who knew Bill will remember him as an honorable man and a loyal friend, with a clever wit and warm smile.
Bill’s family will receive friends on Monday, Feb. 5, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Kain-Murphy Funeral Services, 15 West End Ave., Haddonfield, NJ 08033. All are invited to Bill’s Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 10 a.m., at Christ the King R.C. Church, 200 Windsor Ave., Haddonfield, NJ 08033. Interment, Haddonfield Baptist Cem. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in honor of Bill may be made to Christ the King Regional School, c/o the Church at the above address or the Mt. Carmel School, 175 White Horse Pike, Berlin, NJ 08009.
