Douglas Garland Freeman, Jr.

   Douglas Garland Freeman, Jr. of Raleigh, NC, passed away peacefully on February 12, 2024. Doug was born February 21, 1943, to Douglas G. Freeman, Sr. and Mayo Mayse Freeman of Gates, NC. He never forgot his Gates County roots and maintained lifelong connections and friendships with those in the area, especially with his classmates from the Gatesville High School class of 1961.

   After graduation, Doug left Gates for Chapel Hill, where he earned a degree in Chemistry from UNC. He then attended Duke Medical School, graduating with his M.D. in 1968. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where he also met his future wife, Pat.  He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1971 to 1973 at Womack Army Hospital at then-Fort Bragg, where he established and managed an outpatient Allergy Clinic, treating active duty and retired military personnel and their families.

   After completing a dual fellowship at UAB in Rheumatology and in Allergy–Immunology, he became board-certified in both specialties and opened a private practice in Raleigh in 1977. There he had the honor of treating and befriending hundreds of patients until he retired in 2011.

   Doug’s interests were not limited to the scientific study of medicine, where he excelled.  His intellectual curiosity led him to the study of horticulture and growing fruit trees, including exotic varieties. He had a love of history and enjoyed researching his family’s genealogy and their connections to the area. He also took pride in his children’s accomplishments and activities and was always a supportive dad to them.

   He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Patricia Roe Freeman, his daughter Margaret L. Freeman of Portland, ME, his son Douglas G. Freeman, III of Charlotte, NC, his cousin Joseph B. Freeman, Jr of Gates, NC, his brother-in-law, Wayne Roe of Anniston, AL, as well as numerous other cousins on the Freeman and Mayse sides of his family.

   Funeral services will be held on Friday, February 16, at 2:00 p.m. in Miller & Van Essendelft Funeral Home, 304 Main Street, Gatesville, and will be conducted by the Rev. Cody Brinkley and the Rev. Johnnie Swann. A visitation for family and friends will follow the service. A private burial will be in the Sears-Jenkins-Freeman Family Cemetery at the homeplace.