Paul M. Freed , 83, of Myerstown, PA; formerly of Franconia, PA, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, September 2, 2023, at his residence.

Paul was born in Earlington, PA to the late Norman H. Freed and the late Elizabeth (Metz) Freed. He was the loving husband of Miriam (Halteman) Freed for nearly 63 years, their anniversary being September 24. He was a member of the Bernville Mennonite Church.

He was self-employed as a dairy farmer for many years and served as a minister in the Mennonite Church.

He was ordained in November of 1969 at the Royersford Mennonite Church. He was also involved with the Railroad Avenue congregation, which later joined with Royersford and became the Indian Creek congregation. Later in life, they moved to Lebanon County area, and served at Shepherd's Fold and the Liberty Ridge boy's program. He was ordained for the Providence congregation in 2001. He was presently serving at Bernville Mennonite Church.

He loved children very much. He enjoyed cutting firewood and mowing lawn. He put his heart into preaching and serving others.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his four sons, Mark H. Freed & wife, Beth of North East, PA, Claude H. Freed & wife, Jan of Rockingham, VA, Harlan H. Freed & wife, Connie of Salem, OH, Jay P. Freed & companion, Melissa Schwenk of Wernersville, PA; his two daughters, Maryann Oberholtzer & husband, Clinton of Myerstown, PA, Shirley Landis & husband, Kevin of Green Lane, PA; his 27 grandchildren; his 23 great-grandchildren; his two brothers, Marvin Freed & wife, Eunice of Millheim, PA, Norman Freed of Bedminster, PA; and his sister, Elizabeth Mae Albanese & husband, Nicholas of Pennsburg, PA.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Ronald Martin; his great-grandson, Kolsen Martin; his brother, Harold Freed; and his two sisters-in-law, Pearl Freed & Pearl Freed.

Viewings will be held on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at Swatara Mennonite Church, 10 Camp Swatara Rd, Myerstown, PA 17067 from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm and from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, September 8, 2023, at 10:00 am at Swatara Mennonite Church, 10 Camp Swatara Rd, Myerstown, PA 17067.

Burial will take place at Bernville Mennonite Church Cemetery.

Arrangements by: Anders-Detweiler Funeral Home & Crematory, 130 East Broad Street, Souderton, Pennsylvania 18964. To send online condolences to the family, visit www.andersfh.com

Dad's Health Journey

Dad's last few years were fraught with many health issues. He kept serving the church and the Liberty Ridge boys' program as long as he could, in spite of not feeling well many times. God's kingdom work was the passion of his heart.

On July 6, 2022 Dad was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. He also had problems with fluid retention, so on the 15th, they tapped 4.5 liters of fluid off, giving him temporary relief. However, due to kidney disease as well as the liver cirrhosis, Dad continued with bouts of weakness, dizziness, and loss of appetite. He also suffered extreme neuropathy pain in his legs, from the knees down.

In March 2023, we noticed a rapid decline in Dad's mental status, as well as his mobility at times. After blood work showed some levels to be dangerously high, Dad had a 5-day hospital stay from April 17 – 21 to treat dehydration as well as high ammonia levels in his blood due to liver dysfunction. After being released from the hospital, Dad was very low, needing 24-hour care. He rallied, however, and eventually we could discontinue the in-home care services.

Dad had asked that we do not take him back to the hospital again, however, when fluid retention levels increased until he struggled to breathe, he decided to go to the ER for help. From May 31 – June 7, they removed nearly 18 liters of fluid, and once again Dad felt like a different man. During this hospital stay, they also discovered stenosis of the aortic valve in Dad's heart, but he was not strong enough to correct it.

In just a couple weeks, we once again noticed the all-too-familiar slowness and confusion we had seen in April. This time Dad's ammonia levels were higher than before. After only 2 days at the hospital from July 7-9, the levels went  back to normal, but the doctor informed us that we can expect a reoccurrence since the levels had risen while Dad was taking medication for it.

In a very short time, the telltale signs returned, and we wondered if Dad would be here for his birthday on August 12. We reached out to in-home care for help again so we could keep him at home, and various church brethren covered some night care to enable family members to get sleep.

Dad often expressed his longing to go Home, concluding that God's timetable surely must not be the same as his. On Monday, August 28 Dad was good enough to accompany Mom to get an X-ray done, walking into the building himself with a walker. By evening he had intense pain in his legs, and the rest of the week suffered extreme restlessness. On the morning of September 2, 2023 the timetables finally connected at 7:12 am when Dad very peacefully answered the call to come Home.

Thank You

The Freed family along with our dear mother, Miriam, would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for the help we received throughout this difficult season. This help came in many different ways. Each of you deserves a personal mention, but there are too many to count!

Thank you to Dad's church family, who faithfully showed up to bring companionship, comfort, cards, food, hugs, handshakes, songs, and prayers. And of course, the children, the precious children. Dad loved each of you and cried when you left to go home. You are so appreciated.

We are grateful to the teachers and children from the Hamlin Christian School, who blessed Mom and Dad with cards and visits. Dad enjoyed watching all the games from his deck. I'm sure he cheered for each one of you!

And special thanks to the brothers from the Bernville and Little Mountain churches, who spent many sleepless nights in the living room with Dad, so family members could catch up on rest. You went above and beyond.

To Nevin, a dear neighbor: Thank you for your and your family's tender, loving care and taking time, when Dad decided to come down and see what's going on at the farm! J We are grateful you are there.

Caregiving agencies, Just Like Family and Profound Flight, provided excellent care. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

To Deb, a personal caregiver, who became like family, your loving care for Mom and Dad was evident. We are grateful.

And most recently, we relied on the kind support of Hospice For All Seasons. Thank you for your guiding help in Dad's final days.

God bless each of you and keep you in his care.