“Thank You, Arcata”
Obituary by Darryl & Tina Freeland
Eureka Times-Standard
Our son, Adam Freeland, resident of Arcata and graduate of Humboldt State University, died on December 18th, 2005. Adam died in his sleep, painlessly and at peace, of complications from a seizure. He was 25 years old. He is survived by his brother Noah, his sister Sarah and her husband Eric, by his grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, and, by us, his father and mother, Darryl and Tina Freeland.
Adam grew up in Orange County and had attended Aliso Niguel High School, near our home in Dana Point, California. He was thrilled to have been on a championship Little League Team, coached and befriended by Skip Jarvis, who remained Adam’s adult friend through all his remaining years. It was then during high school that Adam first discovered one of his additional passions, running. Adam developed his first running skills and ran both Cross Country and Track for his high school under the supportive, dedicated guidance of his coach, Rich Bellanti. During his senior year, he was proud to place 2nd on the Junior Varsity Men’s team at the District Championship finals, and to share with a teammate the Runner of the Year award.
During vacations from HSU, Adam returned home to be with us and to work at the Snail’s Pace Running store in Laguna Hills, California. His manager, Rick, also became his friend and his “unofficial” running coach.
For the last seven years, Adam had made Arcata his home. At HSU, he completed his B.A. in History, with three minors in Writing, Psychology and Sociology. He loved the library. His semester of being a Teaching Assistant for a Human Sexuality class was his first clue that he would eventually find teaching as his chosen career path. Adam graduated in June, 2004, under the outstanding mentoring of his favorite HSU professor, Dr. Roy Sundstrom. Adam received an A on his senior thesis and was accepted into Phi Gamma, the International Honor Society for the Social Sciences.
During five of the years that Adam attended HSU he was a member of the men’s Cross Country and Track teams. He made many close friends, both men and women, as he and his teammates ran their favorite paths through the redwood trails, the Arcata marshes, and along the beaches. In his freshman year he received the Athlete of the Year Award from the dormitory program.
In 2000, he and his friend, James Washington, won the first Avenue of the Giants 2-Person Relay Team Award for a 26-mile marathon. Adam went on to win men’s division places in many distance-running events in both the North Coast and in Southern California. In the fall before he died, he took 1st place in his men’s age division in two half-marathons and in the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run with his friends Rachel and Erin. In the final leg up that high elevation, he told us that he wanted to quit with the exhaustion of running from 700 feet to over 7000 feet; but, as always, he made himself climb to the top. Having found his favorite and most successful running distance, Adam was in preparation for another half marathon when he died.
In Fall 2005, Adam had developed a running program for women in the Arcata-Eureka area, which he led each Saturday morning. He was active in the North Coast running community where he had many, many good friends. Having been on the HSU Cross Country and Track teams together, Adam and “Happy” (Jason) became best friends and roommates, and were once again running together and preparing for future long distance running events.
Over years – so long but so very short – Adam maintained an exceptionally large network of friends and teachers and coaches whom he loved and who loved him, persons who enjoyed him and cared about him. Jarrod. Happy. Josh. Mairead. Kellie. Beth. James. Tony. Ed. Ms. Garris. Mr. Seymour. Liz. Skip. Mrs. Samodi. And while he himself was not religious, Adam had many good friends in Campus Crusade, with whom he loved to debate theology and politics, but mostly loved to play Frisbee and soccer. And, so many, many more. His computer and cell phone are full of names and names and names.
In the fall of 2004, Adam had gone to Portland State University where he successfully completed the first semester of an M.A. in History, with the goal of becoming a professor of history. Unhappy there, he returned where he felt most at home, Arcata, to find that he loved helping elementary-aged school children who had mild to moderate disabilities, children not unlike himself. When he died, he was about to begin studies in the elementary teaching credential program at HSU, with plans to eventually complete an M.A. at the University of Oregon in Special Education. He was always a compassionate, generous and kind person, committed to helping other, and with a special joy and gift in reaching children. He did what we taught him: find what you love, be as good at as you can, and chase it with all your heart, wherever it leads you—it will lead you to a good place.
Working in elementary special education was a good fit for Adam. He was born with a rare genetic syndrome; having completed over 20 major craniofacial reconstructive surgeries throughout his life and complete bilateral hip replacement at age six, he was about to have his last major surgery this January. He had lost over half of his hearing and a significant percentage of paraspinal muscles in his back as a result of surgery mishaps. He prayed each night that somehow a cure would be found for his hearing. He was indomitable. No matter the odds, he tenaciously found a way to be positive, energetic and joyful, courageously facing critical event after critical event.
Due to his disabilities, we had been told when Adam was a young child that he would probably be in a wheel chair and would never graduate from high school. But, he ran and he became the scholar in the family. In his senior year of high school, he was one of 50 high school students in California chosen to attend the Youth Leadership Forum for the Governor’s Committee for the Employment of Disabled Persons. He had been accepted to UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz, but he wanted to go to HSU, where he found acceptance, love and purpose. He would often say how grateful he was to live in such beautiful, natural surroundings where people were more kind and considerate with one another.
Adam played Jimmy Buffett and Bob Dylan and U2 and classical music, and he predicted Bono would be 2005 Times’ Person of the Year. Right again, Son. He voraciously read volumes of history and political commentaries, often with friends who joined him in the sun at Blue Lake or Willow Creek. He checked the Internet daily to update himself on worldwide news, and lovingly called us to keep us updated, as well. Being a knowledgeable, responsible citizen was central to his character.
Before he went to bed the night he died, Adam wrote a long piece on My Space on the history, meaning and purpose of his life: to be an inspiration to others, especially to children. He knew that life requires each of us to find our own meaning, regardless of our circumstances. Adam had experienced many adversities in his short life, but he never complained and never asked “Why me?” And, most importantly, he forgave.
In many ways, Adam was and is a hero to his family. He was our very dear friend, talking to us or emailing us back and forth several times a day. We so enjoyed our evening talks on the phone about the political events of the day or exchanging support, often filled with laughter, just before or just after he had gone to Sacred Grounds or the Mokka Cafe to read, write, play scrabble or chess, or simply to meet his friends. His humor was delightful, and no matter how bad the jokes he told, his laughter made everyone laugh with him. His smile could melt a rock.
His touch was a treasure. He was physically affectionate with all of us, especially with his mother and father. Even as a man, he would reach out to hold hands or to kiss us goodnight. He would spend the evenings with us at our little second home in Trinidad, often spending the night or meeting us the next morning at the Big Blue Café for breakfast after the Saturday market on the plaza. And, there were so many nighttime calls to his wonderful brother, Noah. He was deeply loved, needed and wanted. He will be missed forever.
We wish to say “Thank you, Arcata.” You were so good to our wonderful boy who became such a man while living here. You gave him an acceptance that went beyond appearances, into the goodness of his soul. You are the most rare of communities, where neighbors care about each other and bond with each other in the kindest of ways.
Together as a family, and with the help and prayer of a very kind man, Chuck, who, like many in Arcata, knew Adam (and they both wore hearing aids), we cremated Adam’s body on December 21st. We brought him into this world and we sent him out. We will spread his ashes along one of the many running trails he ran in and around Arcata, where his family and friends can go to remember him and to run and walk with him.
In Adam’s death, his best friend from high school, Jarrod, visited his body in the mortuary with us. Jarrod reminded us of the scripture, “Unbind him and let him go.” So hard to do. We miss him so very much. In his life—so very, very few years—in Adam we are reminded of yet another scripture: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope…will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint…”
And from another context in scripture – but nevertheless, the words are so true of our beloved Adam: “He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind…Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightening blazed forth…He reached down from on high and took hold of me …He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me…He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” And we all delighted in him. We will always love you, Adam. You chose us. And we will always choose you. We are still and will always be together with you…
