Frees, Joseph Joseph Nelson Frees, age 29 of Byron Center, formerly of Hesperia, passed away July 19, 2007. Joseph was born on April 2, 1978 in Shelby to Daniel and Sharon (Nelson) Frees. Joe graduated from Hesperia High School in 1996 where he played for many years on the baseball team. Joe received his BS in Movement and Physical Therapy from Grand Valley State University in 2002 and was currently attending Western Michigan working towards his Masters degree. Joe worked at the Byron Center/Countryside School as a K-4 Physical Education teacher and was also Byron Centers High School Athletic Trainer. Joe found great joy in working with his students. Joe was a sportsman, enjoyed golfing, fitness and healthy living. He is survived by his parents, Daniel & Sharon (Nelson) Frees of Hesperia; his brother, Brian Frees of Hesperia; maternal grandmother, Eileen Nelson of Hesperia; his aunts, Valerie Nelson of Hart; Raelyne (Rick) Castonia of Whitehall; Carol (Ed) Lockwood of Fremont; Michelle (Steve) Carlson of Muskegon; great aunts and uncles, Lavonne (Ed) Frees of Hesperia; Rhodora (Fred) Weirich of Hart; Martha (Lester) Dunn of Ionia; Jim (Nila) Clark of Hesperia; Kathleen (Bruce) Lindsay of Hesperia; Ted (Barb) Clark of Fremont; numerous cousins; his close friends, Kyle Borgman, Wayne Haase, LeaAnn Welsh, Aaron Dickinson, and numerous others, along with many colleagues and students at Byron Center Schools. Preceded in death by his grandparents, Glennie & Jessie Freda Frees; Raymond E. Nelson; and aunt, Barbara (Nelson) Homan. Funeral services were held on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 from the Crandell Funeral Home Fremont Chapel with Pastor Dick Morrison of the Hesperia United Methodist Church presiding with interment in the South Ferry Cemetery. Friends may consider the Joe Frees Family for a memorial fund to be established at a later date. Friends may also send a condolence or share a memory online with the Frees Family at www.crandellfh.com. Arrangements by Crandell Funeral Home Fremont Chapel. Click here to post a condolence or memory of Joseph on-line Dear Mr. and Mrs. Frees, I am at a loss for words right now as I write this note to you. I think the realization of all this has hit our family hard. We are a family from Bryon Center, whose children went to Countryside and has had the pleasure of knowing your son for the past 4 years. He has surely left footprints on our hearts. Emily just finished her last year at Countryside this past school year. Joe wanted to see her on the last day of school. He wanted her to know how proud he was of her, for all the money she had raised over the last two years for the American Heart Association. When they did the hoops for heart campaign, she raised the most money. He hugged her and told her that he would see her again. She loved him. Our son, Steven had a special bond with your son. He is going into 2nd grade this school year. Last year, when I dropped him off for school, Joe would bring him into the gym and shoot hoops before school started. He always took the time for him. When Steven wanted to grow his hair out, Joe told him to cut it. Teased him and would tell him that he'd cut it for him. The last week of school, Steven wanted his hair cut short because of the heat. The next day, the first person he wanted to show was "Mr. Frees". And, of course, Joe told him that hit looked great. Steven just beamed with a big smile. We had the opportunity this past December to go to a Piston's game with Joe. He drove down with our family and we really got to know him. The kids were all excited knowing that he was with us. We had a nice time. He always took the time for the kids. He always had a warm friendly hello and a smile whenever you saw him. He always took the time to talk and laugh with us. He was a wonderful man. When Emily found out he died, she cried and cried. She just wanted you to know that he was a great person in her life. She kept telling us that she loved him and how important he was to her. We had a hard time telling our son. He was so very excited to have Joe as his PE teacher this coming year. It has hit him, but I think the worst will come this fall when he starts school and Mr. Frees won't be there. We want you to know that he will be missed by us. For whatever reasons he had in his mind and heart, he was a good person. In our eyes, he will never lose that standard. We are not sure if we can get to the funeral, but will try. Please know that you are in our prayers, thoughts, and will be for the days ahead. Love, The Slentz Family Rod, Sandy, Emily and Steven Photo of our children with Joe from the Pistons game last December Posted 7/23/2007 Please convey my heartfelt sympathy to Joe's family and friends on his passing. I remember Joe for his positive attitude as the athletic trainer at Byron Center High School. He was very kind and helpful to my daughter as she struggled with back pain last season. We always appreciated his dedication and support of the volleyball team. He will be missed. I know that his life will be measured by the many good things he accomplished, not by the tragedy he suffered. My thoughts are with you in this time of sorrow. Elisa McKinnon, Byron Center, Michigan Posted 7/23/2007 Joe you were great friend and cousin. You were funny, kind, and outgoing. It was fun going to concerts, watching sports, and being your roommate for a year. I'll miss you Joe and I'll always remember the times we had together. Love, Kristen Schmidt Posted 7/23/2007 Mr. and Mrs. Frees & Family, The loss of your son devistates us all in the Athletic Training community. Joe was a true embassador to his profession. His dedication to the health and safety of the athletes he treated was top notch. The respect of his collegues and friends was well earned and deserved. Words cannot describe the kind of professional that we have lost in Joe. Let me take this time to wish you God's blessing for your loss. Let me also assure you that, as a friend and collegue (for 6 years), he will live on in our hearts forever. We love you "frees-er"..... Joe Chiaramonte, ATC Posted 7/23/2007 Hello, I worked with Joe at Countryside Elementary. He was such a fun positive person to be around. He always bounced down the hall with a smile on his face. Joe was one of our official grillers for staff cookouts. He was a part of our recent all school campout. We have many good memories of Joe! My 1st grade students loved going to PE because Mr. Frees was their teacher. They looked up to him. He took time to connect with all of them and call them by name. The boys in my class this past last year were sports fanatics and Joe took the time to connect with them talking about the latest sports games. Joe took the time to encourage students to do their best. He was willing to spend extra time with a student shooting hoops in the gym as a reward for hard work. My prayers are with you as a family during these very difficult days. Melissa Austin Posted 7/23/2007 Mr and Mrs Frees, We want to extend our heartfelt condolences to you and your family. Mr Frees was an amazing presence in their lives at Countryside. Denise, and Mikayla thought the world of Joe and Gabriella was looking forward to having him this coming year. We have been blessed to know your son. You raised a wonderful person and a great teacher. Please know that you and Joe are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. Wayne, Lisa, Christian, Denise, Mikayla, Gabriella and Ethan Pratt Posted 7/23/2007 To the Frees Family, I pray for you during this loss to your family. I and other athletic trainers have lost one of the family also. Joe was always a good friend and an ear to bend or a beer to drink with. I appreciated the time that I had with Joe and will never forget the memories. You have lost a Son and family Member, the Athletic Training community in West Michigan lost a friend. My condolences and prayers are with all who grieve. Russell Lee, Former Certified Athletic Trainer, Holland High School. Posted 7/24/2007 Dear Mr. and Mrs. Frees, Although we have never met, your son Joe had become a special friend to our family. We were saddened by this tragic loss and want to extend our deepest sympathies to you and your family. Our son Max, who will start second grade this fall, thought the world of Mr. Frees. We had the opportunity to spend time with him outside of school, and he even helped coach one of Maxs baseball games. Joe was such an important person to the Countryside family. He made a connection to his students and made each child feel special through his encouragement and kind spirit. Mr. Frees will be greatly missed and he will not be forgotten. He made such an impact on our sons life, and Max wants you to know how special your son was to him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, The Lyle Family Todd, Angie, Max and Zoe Posted 7/24/2007 Mr. & Mrs. Frees & "Lil B" My husband Eric and I both graduated with Joe from Hesperia and we are at a complete loss for words that would properly express our grief over the loss of Joe. Joe was such a wonderful friend, always there to make you laugh. I sincerely hope that when we all stop to look back at the footprints left in our lives by Joe that we measure them by all of the wonderful things he has done and not the one mistake. It's funny to think back of Joe now because the last time we spoke which was at our reunion last summer, he was trying very diligently to convince me not to let my 7 year old daughter be a cheerleader because of all of the damage it could do to her little body! He was always so willing to help others. And by the by she is no longer a cheerleader! We took his advice! Please accept our deepest condolences in this very difficult time. Joe will be missed. Eric & Courtney (Purcey) Schwartz Posted 7/24/2007 I got the privilege of knowing Joe over the year that he and Kristen shared an apartment in Byron Center. He was a kind, caring, outgoing person. He was very dedicated to his job and always talked about how much he enjoyed it and enjoyed working with all of the kids. Although I didnt know him as well as others, it is still shocking and upsetting to me that hes passed on. He will definitely be missed. Sincerely, Chuck Hines Posted 7/24/2007 I don't have the words right now to express my condolences to you. I am an athletic trainer at a neighboring school with Joe, although we didn't see each other at events very often I corresponded with Joe several times a year. I've always known Joe to be an exemplary professional and a great person. I know he will be greatly missed by his students at Byron Center as well as by the rest of us in the athletic community. Your family will be in our prayers at East Kentwood. Sincerely, Dan Chappell Posted 7/24/2007 Mr. And Mrs. Frees, Our deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family for the loss of Joe. We at The Center for Physical Rehabilitation thought very highly of Joe and the professional skills he demonstrated as an athletic trainer for Byron Center. Joe was well respected and he will be greatly missed by our staff, especially our Byron Center office who knew him the best. Our prayers of Gods healing and peace are with you. We will remember Joe fondly for the time and great effort in care he gave the student athletes in the Byron Center community. Sincerely, Dan Distin and Chris Nawrocki Owners The Center for Physical Rehabilitation Posted 7/24/2007 Dan, Sharon, Brian and Family, We wanted to take a moment to convey our wholehearted condolences to the entire Frees Family. We haven't heard much about Joe the last few years, but as we listen to others who knew him better and read the other entries in this message book we realize that Joe didn't change. We will forever remember Joe as the caring, hilarious, fun-loving guy he has always been. We will be unable to attend the funeral services, but please know that Joe and your family will be in our prayers at this difficult time. May God Bless You, Mark and Brook Kraus Posted 7/24/2007 Gary and I are very sorry to hear about Joe and we send our sincere condolences to all of his family. Losing someone this young is heartwrenching. May God be with each of you as you work through your grief. Gary and Phyllis Lattin Posted 7/24/2007 Sharon and Family, I am so very sorry for your loss. Prayers go out to you and your family. God Bless, Sue Buckhalter (Aue) Posted 7/26/2007 Dan, Sharon and Brian We have so many happy memories of Joe that we will cherish forever. He was such a wonderful person - also so funny and always happy. He didn't just touch the lives of our family but so many other families too. We can't express in words how much we will miss him. I know that he has found peace with God and he's watching over us now so we'll just look up to heaven when we think of his beautiful smile or remember his laugh and there he will be with us - always. Love, Duane, Tammie, Danell, Cory, Christopher and Chaz Posted 7/27/2007 Mr. & Mrs. Frees & Family, I am a traveling music teacher in Byron Center and work at Countryside 2 days a week. Almost every time I entered Countysides doors I ran into Joe. He always had a smile on his face, a hand-shake or high 5 to give and always took the time to stop and chat for a few minutes in the hall. It was around lunch time that we would cross paths, and as we would chat or pass each other we were surrounded by classes of kids as they headed back to their rooms or out to recess from the lunch roomand on their way through they would yell Hi Mr. Frees! and give him a high 5 as they passed. There was always such a connection between Joe and those kids! I want you to know that Joe was a great teacher who loved the kids, loved what he taught, and loved the staff he was part of. His students and colleagues will miss him greatly he will leave an empty place in the lives of those of us who knew him. I will always remember Joe for the smiles and friendship he so readily gave to those around him. May Gods love and peace surround you today and in the days ahead. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Jennifer Metcalf Music Teacher Marshall Elementary and Countryside Elementary Byron Center Public Schools Posted 7/30/2007