Mary Jane Parsons Freese, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on July 7, 2019, at the age of 82 years and 26 days. Mary was born June 11, 1937, in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, was reared in nearby Hellertown, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of the late Myron Douglas and Irene Ruth (Bachman) Parsons. She was the widow of Derrell Rucker Freese, to whom she had been married 49 years prior to his passing in 2009. She was also the mother of Scott David Freese of Winston-Salem, Gregg Derrell (Amy) Freese of Conakry, Guinea, West Africa, and mother-in-law of Cynthia Freese of Pfafftown, North Carolina. Mary was also the grandmother of Matthew Joshua (Megan) Freese of Charlotte, North Carolina and Stephen Benjamin Freese of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Andrew Christian (Claire) Freese of Roanoke, Virginia, Daniel Joseph Freese of Bloomington, Indiana, and Rachel Hope Freese of Rockville, Maryland. In addition, she was the great-grandmother of Eleanor Elizabeth Freese and was expecting a second great-grandchild, Landon Drexel Freese, in late August. She is also survived by her brother John Milton (Susanne) Parsons of Salt Lake City, Utah, and sister-in-law Betty Jane Parsons of Florida, as well as by several nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents and older brother, Richard Alan Parsons.

Mary was a 1955 graduate of Hellertown High School. Shortly after graduating, she was employed as a secretary at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. In 1956, she was offered a job at the Pentagon and moved to Takoma Park, Maryland, where she later met Derrell Freese. They were married on August 27, 1960, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After spending several years as a stay-at-home mom, she took on several part-time bookkeeping jobs, which allowed her to work at home most of the time. She was very involved with PTA and her sons’ Cub and Boy Scout Troops. She also served as a volunteer treasurer for over 25 years at Clifton Park Baptist Church where she and her family were members for many years. She enjoyed traveling in later years, often visiting her family overseas in Brazil and Guinea. After 57 years in Maryland, Mary moved to North Carolina in 2013 to be near her family. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 3, at Pfafftown Baptist Church, with her pastor, the Rev. Thomas Bounds, officiating. In lieu of flowers, Mary requested that memorial contributions be made to Pfafftown Baptist Church, 4336 Transou Road, Pfafftown, NC 27040. A special thank you to Trellis Supportive Care in Winston-Salem for their care and support during the past month.