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Freeman missed and fondly remembered
Freeman’s life ended in tragedy on Dec. 14 after the helicopter in which he was a passenger crashed outside of Dagsboro just after 6 p.m., killing him and pilot Alisa Danielle Howell, a 30-year-old Richmond, Va. resident. Freeman, a father of three children who played ball in Roxana, was 42 years old. But despite tragedy and the fact that Freeman is now missed on the grounds of the Pyle Center, his spirit of giving that marked his life in many people’s eyes lives on there. Bruce Layton, president of Lower Sussex Little League and an organizer of the tournament, said Freeman committed to supporting the series and its players as early as 2001, three years before it came to Roxana. And, Layton said, Freeman followed through on that promise. For the four years of the tournament’s existence here, players and coaches, some of whom travel hundreds of miles to participate in the annual event, have been housed comfortably in Freeman homes at the Village of Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View, thanks to a Josh Freeman commitment. The flags that fly and the poles they fly from behind Ebbet’s Field, which will be seen worldwide on ESPN when they cover the championship game Saturday, were donated by Josh Freeman. A large storage area at the Pyle Center, where all the teams store equipment in between games and practices, is there thanks to Freeman. And before he died last year, Freeman committed to providing housing for athletes for this year and two more. In an interview before the tournament last year, Freeman talked about why he was so committed to supporting the now-traditional local event. ““We’ve said as long as they want to do it, we want to support them,” Freeman said. “Not only is this a great event for the community, a great event for the girls, and the great event for families, states and cities, but it’s a great way for the community to really get involved and support its own.” |
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