SUSANNA LEE SCHLEIS FREEMAN
Paula Schleis’ sister passes away
BJ reporter Paula Schleis’
sister, Susanna Lee Schleis Freeman, passed away April 23. She was 76.
Paula was a BJ education/small business/features reporter for
more than 30 years when she retired in 2018. She transitioned to a podcast,
Ohio Mysteries. Then added a YouTube Channel. 350 episodes so far.
Her nephew Steve Yoder handles the technical details.
You
can find “Ohio Mysteries” at Patreon.com.
Susanna’s
obituary:
Susanna
Lee Freeman, whose roles in life ranged from veteran to volunteer to being a
mother to many more children than she had given birth to, passed away in Akron
on April 23, 2024. She was 76.
Susanna was born Nov. 26, 1947 in Barberton
to RoseAnn and Stephen Schleis. She became the eldest of five siblings.
She graduated from Barberton High School in
1965, and in 1967 began serving in the Women's Army Corp (WAC) during the
Vietnam War. She married a fellow soldier, Jerry Freeman, and they raised three
sons in Bath Township.
Susanna reinvented herself many times over
the years.
When her family was in an accident, leaving
son Kevin a paraplegic, she devoted herself to his recovery and transition to
an independent young man.
While still raising her children, she
enrolled in the University of Akron to study psychology and other courses of
interest. Later, she became a Guardian Ad Litem, assigned to advocate for
children going through the Summit County Domestic Relations Court - work that
resulted in a J.C. Penney Gold Rule Award for outstanding volunteer efforts in
1998.
She also volunteered for the Rape Crisis
Center and the Battered Women's Shelter, and spent her later years as a product
demonstrator at Sam's Club in Montrose, a job she loved for its social nature.
Susanna left plenty of time for fun. She
loved learning new things, and took up painting, sewing, crocheting, gardening
and scrapbooking. She took cooking classes and always delighted her family and
friends with wonderful meals.
She was an avid ghosthunter, and spent years
leading ghost hunts through the historic O. C. Barber barns in Barberton. She
loved to travel and spend hours searching beaches for shells and fossil shark's
teeth. She spent a lifetime passionately researching genealogies for both hers
and her husband's families.
Many nieces, nephews and cousins considered
Susanna their second mother. When they were children, she was always eager to
entertain them, have them overnight or spoil them on shopping trips. As adults,
they turned to her as a steady source of support. They returned the favor and
became a regular presence in "Aunt Sue's" life as she went through
many medical challenges.
Susanna suffered many serious illnesses in
her lifetime, from cancer to kidney failure, but throughout it all she was a
model of strength and determination. She did not know how to give up. At the
Green facility where she received dialysis, her cheery disposition had fellow
patients referring to her as "The Mayor."
Susanna was preceded in death by her son,
Kevin Freeman, and her parents. She is survived by her sons Tom (Lisa) Freeman
of Fernandina Beach, Fla. and Daniel (Amy) Freeman of Cuyahoga Falls;
grandchildren Caleb, Emma and Ryan Freeman; step-grandchildren Amanda and James
Cunliffe and Brittany Pierce of Florida; six step-great grandchildren; and
former husband Jerry Freeman.
She also leaves behind her siblings Thomas
Schleis and Paula Schleis of Barberton, Barbara Yoder of Akron, and Michael
(Loretta) Schleis of Norton; more than 40 nieces and nephews who cherished her;
and Kashe Heffelfinger, who was like a grandson to her.
Susanna will be interred with her son, Kevin, at Rose Hill Burial Park in Fairlawn in a private ceremony. For those inspired to honor her memory, please consider a gift to your local Rape Crisis Center or her most recent interest, the Critical Care Kitten Coalition.
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