Pat Freeman, age 91 of Scottsboro, passed away on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. A Celebration of Life will be held on March 15, 2026 at the First United Methodist Church in Scottsboro, beginning at 2 p.m.
Mrs. Freeman is survived by her husband, Billy W. Freeman; her children, William K. Freeman, Robert W. (Lisa Roddenberry) Freeman and Sheri Freeman (Bob) Waynick; her sister, Carol (Guillermo) Garcia; six grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Dewey and Pauline Cothran, and her brother, Lavern Cothran.
She was born on September 18, 1934, to Dewey and Pauline Cothran in Belton, South Carolina.
Pat was a devoted Christian. In 1955, she married Billy W. Freeman and became a devoted military wife, an incredible mother, a master educator and mentor, and an extraordinary human being.
Pat was deeply committed to education. She graduated from Furman University with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and later earned a Masters Degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Over the course of more than 40 years, she dedicated her life to educating and inspiring young students. Her teaching career took her across the United States and abroad, including Morocco and Africa, as well as Alaska, Texas, South Carolina and Alabama.
Pat was widely respected as an exceptional educator and mentor. In 1981, she was nominated for National Teacher of the Year, a recognition of the profound impact she had on her students and fellow educators, and she was a long-standing member of Delta Kappa Gamma RHO Chapter.
She believed deeply in nurturing and guiding the youth who would shape the future.
Pat will be remembered for her unwavering dedication to education, her devotion to her family, and the countless lives she touched throughout her life.
Her legacy lives on in the generations of students she inspired and in the family who loved her dearly.
