Nolen Freeman Obituary (1931 - 2024) - Treasure Island, Florida

Chief Nolen Wilson Freeman, long-time resident of Cedar Key, FL, and previously of Lexington, KY and Gainesville, FL passed away on Sat. Sept. 28 th at Magnolia Ridge, Gainesville, FL of natural causes. A longtime fixture in the Cedar Key, FL community, his home was a gathering place for many to enjoy many stories from his remarkable life and to enjoy his famous latte’s and affogatos. His was a remarkable life of service to the public and to the country. Born on June 12, 1931, in Harrodsburg, KY, Nolen was the only child of Eula and William Freeman. After first serving in the Marine Corps in a special covert unit to protect nuclear weapons on the USS Coral Sea from 1948-1952, Nolen returned to the States, to marry his childhood sweetheart, Daisy Tewmey. Nolen began his long professional life in law enforcement when he joined the Kentucky State Patrol, where he was a trooper, a sergeant, and the personal bodyguard to the Governor of Kentucky, A.B. “Happy” Chandler. He then moved to the Lexington, KY police department, where he served for 13 years, rising through the ranks to the level of Major. At the age of 37, realizing that he would not climb higher professionally without a college degree, he attained both undergraduate and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Easter Kentucky University (Richmond, KY). It took him just 3 ½ years to attain both degrees, all while working full-time at the Lexington Police Department and serving in the Army Reserves (Major). His master’s degree was the first in Criminal Justice east of the Mississippi, a program EKU asked him to develop, then extended an offer to him to stay and run the program as a full-time professor. He chose, instead, to continue serving in active law enforcement. He was hired to be the Chief of Police in Gainesville, FL in 1972. His successful tenure of cutting-edge initiatives included one that the community and the press uniformly accepted: before his tenure in Gainesville, black officers patrolled black areas of town, while white office patrolled white areas. Upon his hire, he put an end to this, saying “Our officers are not white or black, they are all blue.” In 1978, he was lured back to the Lexington, KY police department as police chief until his retirement. He and his wife then moved to Cedar Key, FL where they built a home that would become a social hub for many in the community. It was a remarkable love story for the couple who were married 60 years, until Daisy’s death in 2011. Preceding Nolen in death were his parents, wife Daisy, and children Nolen W. Freeman II, James Anthony (Tony) Freeman, and David Joseph (Joey) Freeman. Survivors include sons William (Grinnell, IA) and Eric (Sadieville, KY) and many grandchildren and great- grandchildren. A Celebration of Life for family and close friends will occur in Cedar Key, FL on a later date. Arrangements are by MILAM FUNERAL HOME, 311 S. Main St., Gainesville, FL 32601. (352) 376-5361. www.milamfh.com.