Arthur J. Freeman
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Arthur J. Freeman passed away peacefully, while surrounded by loved ones on Oct. 6, 2019.
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Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Silver Creek Stake Center, located at 309 W. Willow in Taylor. A public viewing is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, at the Silver Creek Mortuary, located at 745 Paper Mill Road in Taylor. Interment will be at the Reed Hatch Memorial Cemetery in Taylor.
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AJ, as he came to be known, was born on May 7, 1928, to Arthur Jordan and Dora Ramsay Freeman. He was the youngest of three children.
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AJ’s father worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and most of AJ’s childhood was spent on the reservation and in Snowflake. He graduated from high school in Kirtland, N.M.
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He volunteered for the Navy in 1945. He was assigned to the ship USS Albermarle in the South Pacific. He was part of the Joint Task Force One Atomic Bomb Test, Operation Crossroads, conducted on Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.
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AJ married Janice Kay on June 18, 1951. They had two children, Yvonne and Gene. He worked for Coca Cola, logged and worked construction during the early years. He moved his family to Chinle in 1957 where he worked with his father and brother in a garage that serviced government vehicles.
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The family moved to Taylor in 1962. After working construction for several more years AJ went to work for the Town of Taylor as Public Works Director. After 19 years in that position, he became Town Manager and was in that position for three years. He retired in 1993.
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He served on the Snowflake School Board for eight years. He was also a volunteer for the Taylor Fire and Ambulance for many years.
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AJ was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in many different callings, including bishop of Taylor Second Ward for six years, Taylor Stake High Councilman for 10 years and second councilor in the Taylor Stake Presidency for seven years. He also served as an ordinance worker in the Mesa Temple for four years and in the Snowflake Temple for nine years before being called as a sealer, where he served for the next seven years.
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He was an avid swimmer. He was part of a swimming group for many years. As of June 17, 2009, he swam 4,765 miles. He also loved photography and took many beautiful pictures throughout his life. The Snowflake Temple, sunrises and sunsets were his favorite things to take pictures of. He loved to be on the water. As a young man, it was water skiing. Just recently he took up kayaking.
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He was a friend to everyone and his greatest pleasure in life was helping and serving others. He will truly be missed by his family and friends.
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He is survived by his wife, Janice; daughter, Yvonne Hunt, son-in-law, Loren Hunt; son, Arthur Gene; daughter-in-law, Marilyn; grandchildren Wesley (Wendy) Hunt, Michelle Hunt, Lori (Matt) Heinlein, Dustin (Rebecca) Hunt, Staci Baldwin, Ryan Freeman, Kelli (Mikel Ortega), Chad Freeman and April (Justin) Bafford; 23 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
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He is preceded in death by his father, Arthur Jordan Freeman; mother, Dora Ramsay Freeman; brother, Larry Kent Freeman; sister, Pearl Stratton; and brother-in-law, Eldon “Spud” Stratton.
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Silver Creek Mortuary handled the arrangements.
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