Denver Kelly Freeman

Denver Kelly Freeman, 67, of Vidor, Texas, died Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, unexpectedly at home in his sleep.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, at First Baptist Church of Vidor with graveside services to follow. Visitation will be at Memorial Funeral Home of Vidor from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday.

Denver is survived by his fiancé, Sharon Dunigan; three children, Trent Freeman and his wife, Sheryl, of Renton, Washington, Chad Freeman of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Tish Barnes and her husband, Rich, of Olathe, Kansas; two brothers, Andrew Freeman and his wife, Texie, of Vidor, Tim Freeman and his wife, Tammy, of Vidor; a sister, Venita Barry and her husband, Clair, of Dallas, Texas; two grandchildren, Korey and Colten Barnes; three step-grandchildren, Derek, Adam and Grant Houck; numerous nieces and nephews; and his cats, Bug and Troy.

Denver is preceded in death by his parents, Versie (Treece) and Houston Freeman; and two brothers, Kenneth and Philip Freeman. 

Denver was born on Feb. 14, 1948, in America Junction, Alabama. He moved with his parents and older brother Andrew to Vidor in 1959 where he graduated from Vidor High School in 1966. He was a member of the Future Farmers of America in high school, and he enjoyed raising rabbits and hunting in his youth.

On April 18, 1970, he married Bonnie West of Beaumont, Texas, now Bonnie Flowers of Honey Island, Texas, to whom he was married for 20 years. They had the first of their three children, Trent, in 1972, followed by Chad in 1974 and Tish in 1978. Denver famously sold his beloved 1969 Javelin to pay the doctor bills for Tish’s birth.

In 1976, Denver graduated with a business degree from Lamar University in Beaumont. It took him 10 years to do so while simultaneously helping raise two children and working fulltime. He was the first person on either side of his family to graduate from college.

Denver worked for a number of years in the late 1960s through the early 1980s at the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper in the composition department -- a job he truly loved. Back in those days before desktop publishing, the newspaper was assembled by hand with each element -- headlines, articles and photographs -- first run through a waxer and then placed on the pages. Every night after the paper was printed, he would bring some of the waxed photographs (veloxes) home for his sons to use as “stickers” which they enjoyed sticking in scrapbooks and on pretty much everything in sight. Denver’s love of journalism ultimately inspired all of his children to study communications and photography.

In a world fueled by peer pressure, Denver was the exception who did things his own way and lived his own life to the end, and he helped give his children the wings to lead their own lives. He didn’t drink or smoke because that wasn’t what he was about. He both welcomed technology and worried about its impact on real-life interactions. When his children wanted an Atari in the early 1980s, he stretched the budget and bought them a much more expensive go-cart instead because he wanted them to play outside, together. Still, he thought it was important for them to be the first in the neighborhood with a computer way back in 1985.

In 2004, Denver retired from the main post office on Walden road in Beaumont where he worked for 23 years as a mail handler. He was an outspoken member of the union and believed in employees being treated fairly. He also believed in the mission of the post office to deliver the mail affordably for all. If you shipped him a gift, he always would make a fuss. If you didn’t use the post office though, he would usually ask why not. He would never directly say you should have used the post office. He wanted you to think about what you had done. He was always thinking, and he wanted you to think, too.

Denver delighted in guessing the endings of movies while you were watching them with him. Often, his ending was better, and he probably missed his true calling as a script doctor. He was an experimental cook whose more questionable and unforgettable dishes included “mustard meat.” He had a unique sense of humor as demonstrated by the time he decorated the Christmas tree with tiny toilets to amuse his children. He enjoyed taking his family to the beach and supporting local sports teams from Vidor football to Lamar basketball, baseball and football to the Houston Rockets, Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of former players and coaches. He was well-read and a strong proponent of higher education. And, he had two pieces of advice he repeated that still resonate: “Pick your spots” and “Be good to your brother and sister.” He said there was no more important relationship than the one shared by siblings.

Denver spent the last 16 years of his life with a lovely woman, Sharon, and they planned to be married soon. They enjoyed watching movies, music, traveling, shopping for bargains, and collecting anything and everything. Together, they fed and spayed/neutered countless stray cats that showed up at their home through the years.

Denver loved his family, cats, movies, music, muscle cars, sports and strawberry ice cream. Family first. It’s hard to say what order on the others.