Obituary for William C. "Willie" Freitag
William Freitag passed peacefully with family surrounding him on January 7th, 2021.
He was the son of Elisabeth and George Freitag, the beloved husband of 58 years to Margaret, an amazing father to Elizabeth Buechner and Caroline (Daniel) Filor, proud Opa to Greta, Luke, Jules, Max and Emeline, and the loving brother of George, who predeceased him.
Born November 26, 1936, Willie grew up in Manhattan and, with his brother, learned to play soccer on the fields of Central Park. Later in his life, he played for teams throughout the city and eventually represented the US Armed Forces and US National teams in international play. He made many lifelong friendships on the streets and fields of New York City as well as soccer fields around the world. After working his way through Hofstra undergrad and NYU grad school, Willie settled in Dutchess County where he raised his family, enjoyed lovely friends, and had a career for many years as an engineer at IBM East Fishkill. He enjoyed warm, sunny days with his family sailing on Candlewood Lake and could be found skiing all day long- from opening to closing of the lifts, no matter how frigid. Willie also shared his love of travel with his family, going abroad whenever he could. This love of adventure was passed especially to his daughter Liz and grandchildren Max and Jules, who have since traveled the world. If you found him at a party, wedding or Oktoberfest he was most likely out on the dance floor- especially if there were a polka or 50s music playing. This is perhaps one of the things we will miss most. Willie lived life well- he was loyal, loving and a bit mischievous. His bright smile and easy laugh will be missed by all who knew him and he will be adored by his family always.
Donations in his memory may be made to Hopewell Reformed Church, 143 Beekman Rd, Hopewell Jct, NY 12533 or to a charity or cause meaningful to you.
He was the son of Elisabeth and George Freitag, the beloved husband of 58 years to Margaret, an amazing father to Elizabeth Buechner and Caroline (Daniel) Filor, proud Opa to Greta, Luke, Jules, Max and Emeline, and the loving brother of George, who predeceased him.
Born November 26, 1936, Willie grew up in Manhattan and, with his brother, learned to play soccer on the fields of Central Park. Later in his life, he played for teams throughout the city and eventually represented the US Armed Forces and US National teams in international play. He made many lifelong friendships on the streets and fields of New York City as well as soccer fields around the world. After working his way through Hofstra undergrad and NYU grad school, Willie settled in Dutchess County where he raised his family, enjoyed lovely friends, and had a career for many years as an engineer at IBM East Fishkill. He enjoyed warm, sunny days with his family sailing on Candlewood Lake and could be found skiing all day long- from opening to closing of the lifts, no matter how frigid. Willie also shared his love of travel with his family, going abroad whenever he could. This love of adventure was passed especially to his daughter Liz and grandchildren Max and Jules, who have since traveled the world. If you found him at a party, wedding or Oktoberfest he was most likely out on the dance floor- especially if there were a polka or 50s music playing. This is perhaps one of the things we will miss most. Willie lived life well- he was loyal, loving and a bit mischievous. His bright smile and easy laugh will be missed by all who knew him and he will be adored by his family always.
Donations in his memory may be made to Hopewell Reformed Church, 143 Beekman Rd, Hopewell Jct, NY 12533 or to a charity or cause meaningful to you.