Lake County Ohio GenWeb

Russell Loyal Freeman

Russ Freeman was an accomplished artist, well known in the Lake County, Ohio community and beyond. His obituary in The News-Herald on May 3 and 4, 2005 describes his career nicely:

He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art Evening School in the 1930s, majoring in Commercial Illustration.

Mr. Freeman started his own sign and silk screen business in 1949, which he operated for 16 years. It was during this time that he started serious water color painting. At the request of some of the administrative officials of the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools, he designed and taught the vocational Commercial Art program in that system. During his 15 years of teaching there, he taught evening water color classes. During his teaching career years, he studied with William B. Schimmel at Jackson Hole, Wyo. In succeeding years, he worked and studied with Phoebe Flory in her water color school at Mount Vernon, N.H.

Russ has had one-man shows at Lake Erie College in Painesville and Lake County Bank (now Bank One in Painesville). He participated in shows and exhibits: Rotary Art Show in Hudson, Ohio Water Color Society 3rd Annual Exhibit in Canton, School of Fine Arts in Willoughby, American Arts Festival in Milford, N.H., Huntington Museum Christmas Show in Huntington, W.Va., and Westmoreland Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts Show in Greensburg, Pa. as well as numerous art festivals in Northeastern Ohio.

Russ has 144 paintings depicting the buildings of the 1880 period of Lake County currently on display at the former Citizens Savings Bank which is now Dollar Bank.

The Freemans made Brooksville, Florida their retirement home, relocating there in about 1986.

Russell Loyal Freeman was born April 25, 1912 in Painesville Ohio and lived on Casement Avenue in that town. His father was Glenn Earl Freeman (March 27, 1890 - June 12, 1949) and his paternal grandparents were Ralph (1859-1930)and Nellie M. Freeman (1868-1949), all Ohio natives. His mother was Ruth L. Ames (ca 1894 - Feb. 21, 1929), daughter of John Gilmore Ames (1863-1907) and Flora E. Hart (1869-1950.)

Russ married Lulu P. (Feb. 25, 1918 - Feb. 18, 2006) She was born in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania. She played piano and clarinet and they enjoyed travel in a recreational vehicle. Lulu worked as deputy auditor in the Homestead Department for Lake County Court House in Painesville. They had two sons. Larry died May 21, 1986 at the age of 43. Loyal (1940) is currently living in 2009. Russ and Lulu had grandchildren Curt, Laura, Larry and Timothy, and great-grandchildren Tara, Lilly, Kyra and Timmy Freeman.

This article was written by Cynthia Turk April 5, 2009, but not published at that time. Sources include obituaries from The News-Herald in Willoughby, Ohio and Hernando Today in Florida; 1910, 1920 and 1930 federal census; Social Security Death Index; Lake County Genealogical Society Cemetery Transription project; Lake County GenWeb Marriage Index, Morley Library Obituary Index.