Shyrlee Arbaugh Freeman was driven by the unwavering conviction that “a strong educational foundation is paramount for children of color.”
There were educators on both sides of the Freemans’ family. Vernon’s father built the school his children attended and served as its principal, as did some of his sons. Vernon’s sisters all became teachers.
“It was something that was in the genes,” Lauris Freeman said.
“[My parents] just believed that education and community were going to be your ticket to whatever you wanted to do in life,” he continued. “She just always had this innate desire to help kids because that’s what her mom’s primary goal was. She said ‘You have to help the children.’”
Though Alzheimer’s began stealing Shyrlee’s memories in recent years, she often spoke of the Oak Park Preschool, where she chaired the board of directors and acted as its grant writer, and frequently thumbed through large binders of information that she had accumulated.
“She was thinking about budgets and grants that didn’t happen and all these things that she used to do,” Lauris Freeman recalls. “These things were so deeply embedded in her, even as her brain was under attack, that it just stayed with her.”
“The preschool was her joy,” Paul Freeman added. “Her heart was so behind making sure that the school was funded, that the kids had things to do, that the playground and the classrooms were all up to standard. She cared about that very deeply.”
The preschool is run by her beloved sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc. (AKA).
The Eta Gamma Omega Chapter of the AKAs will honor Shyrlee with an “Ivy Beyond The Wall” tribute at her upcoming memorial service, acknowledging her 65 years of “sisterhood,” a commitment that earned her “pearl” status.
She was revered as a community gem as well. Paul Freeman remembered the positive reaction he got from classmates when they discovered he was their former teacher’s son. He recalled going to a local elementary school on a call as an adult police sergeant and getting the “cold shoulder” from a school official until she realized who he was related to.
Shyrlee A. Freeman enjoyed a close circle of friends including her prayer and piano groups. A “highly spiritual” person, Shyrlee was a faithful member of the Unity of Sacramento church. Its pastor, Rev. Dr. Kevin Kitrell Ross, will officiate her memorial service, as he did her husband’s just 10 months ago.