George Walter Freese

On May 1st, 1955 while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, George “Bud” Freese hit an inside-the-park grand slam; when asked how he did it, he humbly replied, “I just kept running”. On a bright Sunday morning, July 27th, 2014, George got up to bat in this world for the last time and again knocked it out of the park, cleared the bases and headed for home. George was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, situated along the Ohio River. The house where he lived flooded twice — but instead of moving out, the family, practical as they were, just relocated to the second floor until waters receded and they could move back downstairs. George had loving parents. He also had two brothers and a sister, all of whom preceded him in death. Always a great athlete, George was the starting quarterback for the University of Pittsburgh. After military service with the Army Air Corps, he attended West Virginia University where he earned Honorable Mention All American as quarterback. Upon leaving college, he turned down an offer to play football for the Pittsburgh Steelers, opting to sign a professional baseball contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers instead. George later had the rare opportunity to share the field alongside his younger brother, Gene, both of whom played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. While playing ball in Puerto Rico, George married his college sweetheart, Betty Cobun. George and Betty made their home in Portland, Oregon for 56 years, where they shared a loving home and raised their family. George and Betty remained married until Betty's death in 2012. George is survived by his two children: Nancy Freese Shillingburg, and son George; he is also survived by his only grandchild, Elizabeth Boehnke, who is the daughter of Nancy. Some of George’s favorite and best years were in the Pacific Coast League playing with the championship Los Angeles Angels and with the Portland Beavers. During those years George launched many a home run ball over the left field wall of Multnomah Stadium into the street! After retiring from baseball in 1976, George worked for the grocery and retail chain Fred Meyer until his retirement . George enjoyed spending time with family, watching sports, elk hunting with friends, attending annual gatherings in Sequim, WA (where he was the master beef stroganoff chef!), and the occasional vacation on Hawaii. George was the highlight of every Christmas, where he took great joy in creating a fun-filled, highly memorable and family-centered holiday celebration, complete with a fire crackling in the fireplace and the voice of Mario Lanza belting out a tune in the background! In the event you feel sad or blue because you've lost a good friend, you can be assured of one thing, George “Bud” Freese is perfectly alright and probably still running for home plate! Honor Guard service August 6th 11:00AM at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086. Phone 503-273-5250. Suggested memorial donations can be sent in George’s name, care of Old Timers Baseball Association of Portland, 138 SE 53rd, Portland, OR 97215. A celebration of George’s life will be Wednesday, August 6th, at 1:00PM at The Stockpot Restaurant, 8200 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Beaverton, OR 97008.