Harriet Nell Freehouse, age 94 of Holland, died Sunday afternoon, April 11, 2021, with her husband, Charles “Bud” at her side. Nell was born November 1, 1926, in Sullivan County, Indiana, to Elmer and Ollie Mae (Joseph) Wilkey, the youngest of their nine children. She was proud of being the first in her immediate family to graduate from high school.
In June 1945, while visiting her brother and sister-in-law in New York, she met a shipmate of her brother, Charles Freehouse from south of Holland, Michigan. After a whirlwind wartime courtship, they were married on August 23, 1945. She and Bud settled in Holland where she was a long-time employee of General Electric. They had hoped to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary with their Rose Park Reformed Church family last August but this was not possible due to the pandemic.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter Joan and son-in-law Dick Harms, her grandson Chris (Asleigh) Harms, granddaughter Kate Harms and friend Scott Bogus, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Nell was an avid collector of Precious Moments, which she began distributing to family and friends during the past few years. The family is grateful to the American House of Holland for the care Nell received there and from its very kind staff. Due to the Covid pandemic, a private funeral will be 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, at Lakeshore Memorial Services with visitation one hour prior to the service, following current Covid guidelines. Memorial contributions may be made to Rose Park Reformed Church. Please visit www.lakeshorememorial.com for further information.
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