Ed "Poncho" Freije

“Ed is Dead” If left to his own accord, that would have been his obituary. But thankfully, we get to offer up a few more, well-deserved words than that. Ed “Poncho” Freije, 68 years young, of Conklin, left this world too soon for anyone’s liking – July 30, 2021, predeceased by his father Ted Freije, and his sister Debra Pinney. His early departure leaves behind his “Ride or Die”, the Bonnie to his Clyde - his beautiful, equally silly and fun-loving wife of nearly 49 years, Sue Freije. He also leaves behind his “mini me” - who hasn’t been “mini-er” than him in quite some time, but also never stopped looking up to him - his son Aaron Freije (as well as Aaron’s wife, Dorothy, who truly appreciated Ed’s pun-ny humor and wit, and the open arms with which he greeted her). His 4 grandsons will mourn the loss of their grandpa, but will also smile as they cherish the countless memories that only a “Gpa” could make possible – Justin & Jarred Freije, Patrick & Matthew Cooper. Poncho is also survived by his mother, Marjorie (Freije) Dumond, and his siblings Charlie Freije, David (Kathy) Freije, and Janet Reuscher – all of whose crazy love and outrageous childhood memories led to a whole lot of adulthood laughter and friendship. Poncho’s life is also celebrated by his sisters-in-law, Mandy Houghton and Karen Bordenet, and their families. So many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends could offer up enough stories about Poncho to keep the laughter rolling for days on end. Ed and Sue loved to travel, whether it was elaborate vacations - seeing the sights of Hawaii, California, or Washington, or day trips getting lost on the backroads of wherever their cars would take them. After all, who needs a destination when the journey is made with your best friend at your side? There was rarely a moment in a day that Poncho was not busy. Whether it was puttering in his own garage, or helping Jarred or Justin with a boat repair… or car/truck repair… or 4-wheeler repair… or even putting out the fire of a flaming log rolling down the driveway. For a man who hated water, Gpa enjoyed many afternoons boating with his family, and even built a pond with Sue and the boys on their property, to be enjoyed by family and friends alike (lovingly referred to by “Freij” as “Sue’s Pond”, Pond being her maiden name). Ed Freije was a household name in the Town of Conklin. No matter how much or how little you knew him, Ed, without a doubt, put a smile on your face at least a time or two. Whether it was telling jokes that made you blush, getting rowdy (seriously… ROWDY) at one of the dozens upon dozens of football, basketball, soccer, baseball, track, or rugby games in which one of his grandsons were participating in, or just offering up his time to help with whatever project you were working on (Need a tool for said project? Rest assured, he had one to loan… with his initials painted on it… and a sign out sheet so he knew he’d get it back one day). For all of these reasons, and so many more, we celebrate Ed Freije as husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and, to all, friend. Please stop by and join Sue, Aaron, and their family at the Town of Conklin Community Center, 1-4pm, Saturday, August 7, 2021 and share a smile, a hug, and a memory. Also, please consider bringing a photo, to leave with Sue and Aaron, of a time you shared with Ed/Poncho/“Freij”. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Conklin Volunteer Fire Department in honor of Ed "Poncho" Freije: Conklin Volunteer Fire Department 1034 Conklin Rd Conklin, NY 13748 Always loved, never forgotten, forever missed.