Eldridge T. Freeman III

Eldridge T. Freeman, III was born to the late Dr. Eldridge T. Freeman, Jr. and Mrs. Janice M. Freeman on October 15, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois. There, he grew up alongside his younger sister Joyce Freeman-Baker. During his childhood, he was surrounded by his first cousins, Dr. James W. Reede, Jr. (Rocky) and Roi Reede, joining the Cub Scouts and later the Boy Scouts of America, where he made lifelong friends. Eldridge held dear all the memories he made during the holidays, where he would spend his time playing with even more cousins, Burt and Kevin Nunley. In grade school, he loved playing football at St. Joachim Elementary. In high school, Eldridge continued to play football at LaSalle, where he was a defensive end. Through football, he earned a scholarship to play for Western Illinois University. Still maintaining his passion for football, he went on to play semi-pro football with the Chicago Heights Broncos. In 1972, while at Western Illinois University, Eldridge pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated (Zeta Mu Chapter). After completing 3 years at Western, he decided to transfer to Chicago State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1975. His love for his fraternity led him to become a charter member of Theta Zeta Chapter (Chicago State University). Eldridge established a legacy of family dedicated to the Kappa’s – son, Eldridge T. Freeman IV; cousins, Dr. James w. Reede, James W. Reede III and Roi Reede Sr; brother-in-law, Bruce Herron; and nephew, Bruce Herron, Jr. He died an active Senior Member of the Woodbridge Alumni Chapter. In 1980, Eldridge married the late Sheryl E. Conyers. To their union, three children were born: Brittany, Brooklin, and Eldridge IV. He later moved to the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he started his career in Management. Eldridge served in various managerial and supervisory roles at the Boeing Company, Motorola Communications, and various positions within the Cable TV Industry. He served his longest tenure at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as a Supervisor in Customer Information, later earning a promotion to Supervisor in Revenue Operations. In this role, he managed employees tasked with handling revenue from both the bus and rail operations of WMATA. Also, during his tenure at WMATA, he served in the capacity of Performance Management Coach, a role that required him to mentor managers through the process of addressing performance-related challenges. As Safety-Awareness Coach, he sought to minimize the number of work-related injuries in his specific operation. Following his retirement from Metro Transportation, Eldridge embraced his well-deserved free time with passion and energy. He spent much of his time traveling, competing in golf Tournaments and cruising on his boat. While traveling, he was able to make regular visits to his hometown of Chicago, where he would celebrate holidays and travel on cruises annually with family and close friends. Eldridge had a strong passion for golf. He and his buddies would play in golf tournaments all around the United States, where he would meet more lifelong friends. Eldridge will be remembered for his warm spirit, his love for family, and his passion for life on and off the water. His greatest joy was his family. Eldridge leaves behind a legacy of resilience, warmth, and dedication. He is survived by his sister Joyce Freeman-Baker, his four beloved children, Brandon, Brittany, Brooklin, and Eldridge IV, eight grandchildren, and a plethora of extended family and lifelong friends.