Ann Freeman (Ramsdell), 94 , of Cambridge, MA, passed away July 4, 2023. Born in Boston, MA on November 29, 1928 to Donald and Frances Ramsdell (Harder), she was a dedicated teacher, wife, mother, and grandmother.
Ann spent her formative years in Tuscaloosa, AL, where her parents taught at the University of Alabama, returning north to spend summers in Camp Ogontz in New Hampshire where her mother was a director. Ann graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in music. She then followed her parents to Cambridge in 1950, where Ann met and fell in love with James Freeman, to whom she was married for 70 years. Ann and Jim made Cambridge their home, raising four sons on Hillside Avenue where they lived for six decades, until moving into assisted living in 2019.
Ann’s life was defined by her life-long commitment to education: as an outstanding teacher, a fierce advocate, and a thoughtful critic. She completed a Master’s degree and a Certificate of Advanced Study at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She worked in admissions at the Shady Hill School, and then taught sixth grade for several decades at the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N). Her students were challenged through exposure to a wide range of topics ranging from classical Greek myths to allegories from the Qur’an. She worked actively for equity and inclusion, first through the parent’s council at Shady Hill and subsequently at BB&N and other community institutions. She continued as an educator in retirement, teaching English as a Second Language to adult students in classes held at Christ Church in Cambridge.
Ann had a remarkable talent for meeting and getting to know a wide variety of people. Always inquisitive, she developed relationships through a genuine interest in other people and their lives, from her children’s friends to the many visitors she welcomed into her home. She and Jim welcomed student au pairs from Germany, France, and Sweden, graduate students in architecture from Japan, South Korea, and France, and visiting scholars from Nigeria and Costa Rica. She was a skilled listener, spurring deep conversations with old friends and new acquaintances with her warmth and attention to what they had to say.
Ann and Jim traveled widely, often visiting people they had hosted in earlier years. On their trips, Ann was willing to try anything, from camping and kayaking in Alaska, to hiking Greco-Roman ruins in Greece and Turkey, to exploring the cuisine and culture in Japan with family and in South Korea with Korean friends.
Ann loved classical music and was an astute commentator on performances. She cherished her concert series with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Baroque, and cultivated relationships with fellow season-ticket holders she came to know over the years.
A great believer in the power of exercise and fresh air, Ann would make daily pilgrimages to Fresh Pond with Jim and a series of golden retrievers well into her 80s.
Ann was predeceased by her husband, Jim, in March 2021. She is survived by her sons and spouses Donald (Kathleen Graves), David, John (Marty Welbourn), and Will (Bradley Nixon); grandchildren Laura (Johann Hutzli), Emily, Lindsey (Will Ames), Sam, and Nick Freeman; and great-grandchildren Madeleine and Claire Freeman Hutzli.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ann’s memory to Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation or Cambridge Center for Adult Education.
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