Following is the obituary for FREDERICK ARTHUR FREEDMAN, submitted for his family by the Abraham L. Green & Son Funeral Home in Fairfield.

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The Honorable Frederick Arthur Freedman, 95, passed away peacefully at his home in Westport on May 15, 2024.

Judge Frederick A. Freedman was born in Bridgeport to Harry C. Freedman and Doris (née Schuman) Freedman.  

As a very young boy, he moved with his parents to London, England for several years, but they returned to the United States just before the beginning of World War II.  

Judge Freedman graduated from Bassick High School and earned a B.A. degree from the University of Connecticut in 1951 and an L.L.B. from Yale Law School in 1954. He honorably served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force JAG during the Vietnam War from 1954-57  

He practiced law with Brody and Brody, P.C., until 1981 when Gov. William O’Neill appointed him to the Connecticut Superior Court bench. During his tenure, he held various notable positions, including chief administrative judge of Family Division and as a member of the following: the Governor’s Policy Advisory Council for the Annie E. Casey Foundation Child Welfare Reform Initiative, the Connecticut Commission on Child Support Guidelines, the Superior Court Rules Committee, the Connecticut Bar Association Committee on Liaison with State Courts and the Connecticut Task Force on Gender, Justice and the Courts.  He was also a bencher for the Raymond E. Baldwin American Inn of Court, and on the Board of Directors of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. 

In 1992, Judge Freedman was appointed to the Connecticut Appellate Court by Gov. Lowell Weicker where he held the position of chief administrative judge for the Appellate System until 1994 when he became a senior judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court and, in 1999, judge trial referee.  

When he retired from the bench in 2012, after 30 years of distinguished service, he served as counsel at Halloran & Sage in their Westport office in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group as a mediator.  

Judge Freedman is a life fellow of both the American Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association.  He was also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Connecticut Bar Association Judiciary Award, the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Exceptional Service Award, the Honorable Robert Zampano Award for Excellence in Mediation, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association Judiciary Award and the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association Award for Excellence.  

Judge Freedman loved spending time with his family, traveling, good food, reading, playing golf, dogs and a great joke.

Judge Freedman was an honorable, impeccable man, honest, loyal, fair, with a sweet, tender, gentle disposition and a brilliant mind. He was known for his exceptional sense of humor and his dignity, his fastidious attention to detail, and his wonderful taste in clothes.  

He loved his family and his career, and when asked if he had any regrets or would change anything about his life, he said that he loved every minute of it and would not change a thing. One of the last things he said is, “I am the luckiest guy in the world.”

Judge Freedman is survived by his wife of 68 years, Dorothy Freedman (née Nevas) of Westport; his three children, Janet R. Freedman of Westport, Susan (the Rev. Dr. Mark L. Heilshorn) F. Filan of Newtown and Ellen (Steven L. Wilner) Nevas Freedman Wilner of New York City; his five grandchildren, Eric (Dayane) Zimmerman of Westport, Mee Mee and Hallie Filan of Newtown, and Samantha and Kasey Wilner of New York City; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, the Hon. Alan H. and Janet Nevas of Westport, and nieces and nephews, Andrew (Jodie) Nevas, Dr. Debra (Dr. Jonathan Abrams) Nevas and Nathaniel (Leslie Radel) Nevas.  

Funeral services will be held on May 21 at 9:30 a.m. at Temple Israel, 14 Coleytown Road. Burial will follow at Independent Hebrew Cemetery, 135 Richards Ave., Norwalk. For more information and to share a condolence message, visit greensfuneralhome.

Memorial contributions may be made to Yale Law School Fund, Financial Aid/Career Options Assistance Program.