ORONO – Madeleine R. Freeman, 86, died March 14, 2012, at Dirigo Pines. She was born Feb. 10, 1926, in Allenstown, N.H., daughter of Arthur J. Richard and Germaine (Stokes) Richard.
She was raised on a family dairy farm in Pembroke, N.H. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College, Lewiston, in 1947 and married her classmate, Stanley Freeman, at the Bates Chapel in 1948. The couple moved to Orono in 1952 where they brought up daughter, Martha; and son, Richard. Madeleine devoted her life to family, civic endeavors and public service. She joined the League of Women Voters and became president of the state organization. In 1970 she was elected the first woman member of Orono Town Council and subsequently became its chairperson. She was elected president of the Maine Municipal Association in 1977. Later she was chair of Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices; a member of Maine Supreme Court’s Select Committee on Professional Responsibility; member and chair of Maine Overseers of the Bar; and member and chair of the Committee on Judicial Responsibility and Disability. In recognition of these services, Bates awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1978. She received the Deborah Morton Award from Westbrook College and the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Maine. She was a member of Bates College Board of Trustees, and a member of the board of Peoples Heritage/TD Bank. As an empty nester, Madeleine returned to school and earned a Master of Science degree in adult education from the University of Southern Maine in 1981. For 11 years she was executive director of Eastern Area Agency on Aging. Freeman Forest Elderly Housing, Orono, was named in her honor upon her retirement in 1991. From 1991 to 2004, she was on the board of directors of Legal Services for the Elderly. From 2003 to 2010, she chaired the Curriculum Committee of Penobscot Valley Senior College. Throughout her life, Madeleine stood for fairness and justice. She was a persuasive voice for people of all walks of life.
She is survived by her husband, Stanley Freeman of Orono; daughter, Martha Freeman and son-in-law, Richard Barringer, of Portland; son, Richard Freeman and son-in-law, Sean Meehan, of San Francisco; grandchildren, Greg Barringer of Westport, Conn., Ian and Kelly Barringer of Boulder, Colo., and their children, Angus and Leo, Adam Barringer and Laura Neuwirth of Arlington, Va., and their children, James and Sarah, and Sam and Pam Barringer of Portland and their children, Danica and Cole; brother, George Richard and his wife, Loretta, of Pembroke, N.H.; and nine much-loved nephews and nieces and their children of the Richard family. She was predeceased by her brother, Norman and his son, Mathew.
A celebration of her life by friends and family will be held in the spring. Those who wish to remember Madeleine in a special way may make gifts in her memory to Eastern Area Agency on Aging, 450 Essex St., Bangor, ME 04401; or Stanley and Madeleine Scholarship Fund, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240. Condolences to the family may be expressed at
www.BrookingsSmith.com.