Gwendolyn Ann Freeman

Gwendolyn Ann (Hayes) Freeman was born in Dallas, Texas, on March 24, 1930, the first of three daughters of Lawrence Lorenzo and Evelyn (Townsen) Hayes. She grew up in small towns in Texas where her Dad served as a pastor. She was beautiful and fiery and passionate, even as a child. She was athletic. She loved riding horses, including trick riding in rodeos. She especially remembered being the Statue of Liberty, riding two horses in a standing position with one foot on each horse while holding a torch. She loved swimming and diving, and as a teen, she was a runner up in the regional Olympics diving trials. She also loved school. She graduated high school and started college at Baylor University when she was only 16 years old. She studied pre-med at Baylor, but she was most famous for getting engaged multiple times, just because she didn't want to break her suitor's heart. She would bring the "fiancee" home, where she made her dad tell him she was too young to marry.

After college, she moved to Houston, where she met a handsome young Air Force pilot named Richard Freeman - the love of her life. She and Dick married on September 21, 1951, and embarked on a 63-year adventure, which focused primarily on their children, Michael, Melodie, Mitchael, Melissa, and Marlalyn. In 1970, Gwyn and Dick became the guardians for Skip, Victoria, Keela, Kimberly, and Kola Stow, after their parents passed away. In 1975, Gwyn and Dick sponsored three more children, Hoa Le, Minh Nguyen, and Van Nguyen. They later embraced Hagin and Carolyn Haokip and their children as family. Spouses and 33 grandchildren were added to the clan, and, so far, 54 great-grandchildren and 2-7/9 great-great-grands. Gwyn and Dick spent time regularly praying for each one.

Gwyn considered herself a homemaker, but that meant she effectively ran a small company. She was always a hard worker and a brilliant organizer. She was remarkable at planning and providing meals, transportation, and laundry; making and sticking to a budget; coordinating so many schedules; hosting a multitude of activities; planning vacations and trips; delegating and supervising the work of others; providing advice and a shoulder to cry on; and keeping everyone on the straight and narrow.

Since the age of 11, the foundation of Gwyn's life has been her faith in Christ. Gwyn was a Bible scholar who loved to study and to teach. She and Dick lived out their faith. They taught Sunday School for most of their married life. Gwyn worked with teens and young married couples, and for many years, she cooked meals at numerous camps and at a Tulsa women's shelter, often taking her granddaughters along for a lesson in selflessness. Gwyn had a special heart for missions, traveling all over the world sharing her faith and serving others. She helped establish an orphanage in India.

Gwyn had the gift of exceptional hospitality. Everyone who came in her door was made to feel welcome. In addition to their family, Dick and Gwyn cared for friends of their children and grandchildren, missionaries, foreign exchange students, immigrants, and many, many others. Gwyn hosted a big Sunday lunch every week, and her motto was "the more, the merrier." The food was always good, but she made sure that acceptance, fellowship, and love were the main courses.

She was phenomenally generous. Dick used to joke that he could not make money fast enough for her to give away. She was generous with her time as well. In addition to her volunteer activities, she attended incalculable mission trips, camps, church programs, school programs, club events, and sporting events. Ever enthusiastic, Gwyn was famous at sporting events for her extremely loud cheering. Once, she even received a technical foul when she thought a ref was being unfair to her grandson.

Gwyn rarely thought the rules applied to her - and usually, they didn't because she was truly exceptional. She was always in a hurry, and not always patient. She was fearless. She loved the color red. She talked with her hands, which made it interesting when she drove the Vista Cruiser station wagon down West Texas roads at 90 miles per hour. She loved being active and hated to sit still. She loved to water ski, snow ski, swim, and ride horses all of her life. Her children remember the time she went surfing, holding a baby in one arm and holding the other arm up in the air so the cast on her broken finger wouldn't get wet. The lifeguard was not amused. She loved most of all to travel and couldn't wait for the next destination - to anywhere anyone was going. She especially loved Hawaii and took her family there often.

Gwyn practiced a purposeful version of investment banking. She banked up wisdom, compassion, and love throughout her life, and she tenderly and painstakingly invested those in the people around her. She truly exemplified the Bible's two most important commandments: she loved the Lord with all her heart, soul, and mind, and she loved her neighbor as herself.

As a result, surely goodness and mercy followed her all the days of her life, and now she dwells in the house of the Lord forever. She is safely home in the arms of Jesus, rejoicing around the heavenly table with Dick, with Melissa and Chad, with her parents and her sister, Peggy, with Dick's parents, and with so many other loved ones.


A Family Visitation time will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 2021, at Moore's Eastlawn, 1908 South Memorial Drive, Tulsa.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at Eastwood Baptist Church, 948 South 91st East Avenue, Tulsa, followed by internment at 2:00 p.m. at Fort Gibson National Cemetery.