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Stan Freeland

Stanley “Stan” Dwight Freeland, 96, died Sunday, May 5, 2019, at his home in Alhambra, California, with his wife Kay by his side.

Stan was born Feb. 10, 1923, on a farm outside Crystola, Colorado, and was the youngest son of Robert Haddon Freeland and Ethel May (Stewart) Freeland.

During the Depression years, the family tried various ventures to try to make a go of it: a hamburger stand in Pomona, California, a dairy and vegetable farm in Crystola, a lunch stand in Redlands, California, and candy and popcorn stands in Norman, Oklahoma and Lubbock, Texas.

In 1932, the family returned to Burns, Kansas, where they owned two farms. Stan and his brothers, Robert and Edgar, helped with farm work.

Stan had a quirky way of looking at ordinary things:

“I remember my sheep herding days and caring for them during lambing season. Dad could never understand how I could tell which one to watch when birth was imminent. He could never figure how to pick out the one I had given a name. He always thought that all sheep looked alike.”

Stan liked to tease his Grandfather William Freeland, who lived with them. One day, Stan skipped school and hid. When Will went to get the mail, Stan hid his grandfather’s glasses. When Will returned, he grumbled for hours about where he left those “confounded glasses.”

Stan graduated from Burns High School in 1941 and completed one year at Butler County Junior College in El Dorado, Kansas. With the U.S. having entered World War II, Stan went to work at Boeing Aircraft in Wichita, making gliders that were used on D-Day in Europe.

He was inducted into the Army Air Corps in February 1943 where he maintained and repaired P-38 wing coverings in the 5th Air Force, 100th Air Service Squadron in the Pacific Theater.

After the war, his brother Robert encouraged him to go to Los Angeles, California to work at Pacific Press, Inc. where Bob was employed. Stan worked for the company for 37 years.

On Oct. 3, 1947, Stan and Kathleen “Kay” Lloyd were married at Sunnyside Baptist Church in Los Angeles, and they celebrated 71 years together.

The couple traveled extensively. They took cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean, visited many national parks, and attended numerous reunions of the 100th Air Squadron. They visited many European countries, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Great Britain, and New Zealand. They went skiing and took backpacking trips. They planned family reunions and attended as many family weddings and other special events as they could.

Their Chino Hills home for more than 40 years was right next to a golf course — a dream-come-true for an avid golfer like Stan.

On his 90th birthday, he received many letters in which his sense of humor was mentioned. That humor came out at his surprise birthday party when he said, “You know, if I had any idea there were going to be so many surprises, I would have looked forward to turning 90!”

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers; his sisters-in-law Hazel Freeland, June Freeland, Iris Freeland, Edla Freeland and Gail Lloyd; his brothers-in-law Hamilton Lloyd and John Lloyd; his nephew Bob; and Bob’s wife Kate.

He is survived by his wife; brother-in-law Jim Lloyd; sisters-in-law Delphine and Jane Lloyd; five Freeland nephews and nieces: Jeff and Vicki Freeland, David and Linda Freeland, Peter Freeland, Gloria Freeland and Art Vaughan, and Gaila and Humberto Chambi; 10 Lloyd nephews and nieces: Steve and Jennifer Lloyd, Sharon and Ben Cox, Deanna and Don Jennings, Donna and Howard Horn, Craig and Devon Lloyd, Nannette and Mark Frankian, Doug and Janet Lloyd, Chris and Ed Evans, Suzi and Rick Bass, and Mary and Jerry Jaramillo; 36 great-nephews and-nieces; and 38 great-great nephews and nieces.

The burial service with military honors was at Riverside National Cemetery and the memorial service was at the First Baptist Church in Yorba Linda May 21.

Last modified May 16, 2019

 

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