Obituary Norma Freeman December 17, 2014

Norma Freeman 

Norma Freeman was born on May 28, 1930, and passed away after a short illness on December 11, 2014, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.  Norma’s maiden name was Driver, and she was also known to many by her nickname of “Deenie.”  A loving mother and wife, she was married for almost 65 years to William J. “Bill” Freeman, who predeceased her earlier this year.

Norma was the daughter of Lester T. and Jewel Mae Driver.  She had four sisters, Rita Bogan, Naomi Bailey, Allie Brown, and Sue Laidler, and one brother, Lester L. “Bud” Driver.  She was born in Midlothian, Texas, where she was by her own account, spoiled rotten by her grandfather, and where she was able to ride her bicycle to school.  When she was in junior high school, the Driver family moved to Santa Paula.  After moving to Santa Paula, she went to Isbell School, and then to Santa Paula High School, where she graduated in 1949.  She always spoke with great fondness for the special friends she made during her school days.

Immediately after high school Norma and Bill married, and later had two sons, Dean and Lynn Freeman.  She and Bill spent much of their lives on cattle ranches, first on the Freeman family ranch in Aliso Canyon, and then on their ranch in north central Arkansas. Norma was an active partner in the business, keeping the books and managing the finances.

She and Bill spent many wonderful years on the ranch in Arkansas.  While they lived in Arkansas, Norma became an avid genealogist and took great joy in tracing her family roots back to the Revolutionary War.