Merle Smith Freeman

Merle Smith Freeman Forsyth . . . . Merle Smith Freeman died Monday, September 3, 2012. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Thursday, September 6, 2012, at Forsyth United Methodist Church with burial in Forsyth City Cemetery. The Reverend Ken Stephens will officiate. The family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 5, 2012, at Monroe County Memorial Chapel. Mrs. Freeman, the daughter of the late Dr. Wilson Jackson Smith and Hattie Brown O’Rear Smith, was born September 24, 1911, in Juliette, Georgia. Her husband, William Bradford Freeman, Sr., her daughter, Mary Merle Freeman and her brother, Lewis Glenn Smith preceded her in death. Mrs. Freeman received her Collegiate Normal Diploma in 1931 from Georgia State College for Women and taught school in Forsyth for approximately five years. In 1963 she served as Deputy Clerk of Monroe County Superior Court and was elected in November 1964 as Clerk of Monroe County Superior Court, reelected in 1968, and served until her retirement in 1972. “Miss Merle” was active in civic, community, and church affairs. She was a member of the Lions Club who recognized her for sixty-five years of dedicated service and honored her with the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for dedicated humanitarian service and the Hall of Fame Award. She was a member of Monroe County City of Forsyth Joint Beautification Committee. She received the Book of Golden Deeds from the Exchange Club of Forsyth in 2001 in appreciation for her many years of service to the community. Mrs. Freeman was a poll worker for the Monroe County Board of Elections and served on the Board of Zoning Appeals, where at the age of 90 she walked over many acres of land. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy, a volunteer for the American Red Cross blood drive, and also an IRS volunteer tax counselor for the AARP. She was a member of Forsyth United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women. Survivors include her children, William Bradford Freeman, Jr. of Forsyth, Margaret (Kincaid) Patterson of Atlanta and Miriam Louise Freeman (Larry Hamilton) of Asheville, North Carolina, six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. The family expresses its deepest appreciation to Dr. Craig Caldwell for his outstanding compassionate care. They also express their heartfelt appreciation to her magnificent caretakers, Gloria Furlow, Ernestine Ogletree, Sue Smith, Carol Lucear, Shatea Furlow and Lakisia Furlow. The family requests no flowers but suggests donations to Forsyth United Methodist Church, PO Box 108, Forsyth, Georgia 31029. Monroe County Memorial Chapel has charge of arrangements.