Jeannette B. Freyburger

Jeannette Freyburger, age 100, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2025. She was born to Cloyd H. Barcroft and Florence (Cooley) Barcroft on February 26, 1925, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jeannette graduated from Albion College in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

She met a young doctoral student, Walter A. Freyburger of Penfield, Pennsylvania, on her first day of work as a research technician in the Hypertensive Clinic at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They were married on June 14, 1947, in the Methodist Church in Albion, Michigan. After marriage, Jeannette worked in the School of Public Health conducting flu virus research. Walter always said she put him through his Ph.D.

Jeannette was an avid freshwater fly fisherman. The family lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and spent summers at their home on a fly-fishing-only stretch of the North Branch of the Au Sable River in Lovells, Michigan. She was also an enthusiastic birdwatcher and a passionate reader. She will be lovingly remembered by her children as a wonderful mother.

Jeannette was preceded in death by her husband, Walter A. Freyburger, who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 1999; her sons, Bruce W. Freyburger of Gallup, NM, and Richard W. Freyburger of Lakewood, CO; and her brother, John R. Barcroft of Tavares, FL.

She is survived by her daughters: Louise E. Freyburger (David Bridge) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Janice F. Book (Doug) of West Boylston, MA; and Susan F. Stitt (Harold) of Golden, CO. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Jean Barcroft of Tavares, FL.

Jeannette leaves behind five grandchildren—Kylie, Mara, Ian, Jillian, and Kelsey—two great-grandchildren, a niece, two nephews, and their families.

The family would like to express heartfelt thanks to the amazing and incredibly supportive caregivers at the Pavilion for Health Care at Penney Retirement Community and to Community Hospice & Palliative Care.

A private graveside service is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to:

• The Network Coffeehouse in Denver, CO (https://www.networkcoffeehouse.org/suport)
• The Lakewood Theater in Lakewood, ME (https://www.lakewoodtheater.org)