On Monday, September 18, 2023 Laurence (Larry) Henry Freiheit, 78, of Berkeley Springs, WV passed away peacefully at home with his beloved wife Terri by his side. A beautiful, sunny day ushered him from his cherished mountain home to heaven.
Larry and Terri were together for nearly thirty years and moved from Virginia to Berkeley Springs, WV in 2001.
Larry was born on December 23, 1944 to Elsie and Laurence W. Freiheit in Manchester, Connecticut. After this high school graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Marines at the age of 17 and completed tours in Japan and Vietnam. Upon his return home from the military, he graduated with a law degree from University of Connecticut Law School.
Larry was a member of the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, alongside his father, until a job transfer with the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs took him to Washington D.C.
His interest in American Civil War history peaked after moving to Virginia and Larry, with Terri by his side, visited most battle sites west of the Mississippi. After retirement, Larry pursued and obtained a masters degree in military history and authored two books related to the Civil War. He spent the last decade of his life volunteering at Antietam Battlefield in the Newcomer House.
Larry was an accomplished athlete his entire life, completing many marathons and an Iron Man competition. Aside from cheering on the UConn Huskies, one of his favorite hobbies was biking with Terri. Less than a month before his death they biked 22 miles on the C&O canal. His spare time was spent on a tractor puttering around his home, building and maintaining a lovely parklike setting for Terri, adjacent to Cacapon State Park.
Larry is preceded in death by his parents and brother Edward Hadden. He is survived by his wife, Terri (Toennisson) Freiheit.
After a funeral at Union Chapel United Methodist Church near Berkeley Springs, WV on Friday, September 22 at 2:00 PM with family receiving friends from 1:30-2 PM, Larry will be laid to rest in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 200 yards from the location of the Gettysburg Address. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Save Historic Antietam Foundation at http://www.shaf.org/
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Laurence "Larry", please visit our Tree Store.