Resident of Medford, OR

Longtime San Jose resident Nancy Sitter Freeman, 83, passed away April 10, 2025, at her home in Medford, Oregon, with family by her side.

During her 35 years living in San Jose with her husband, Jim, an electrical engineering professor at San Jose State University, Nancy was an avid community volunteer. She served as head of the Santa Clara Juvenile Justice Commission, where she inspected juvenile detention centers and group homes and made recommendations to the state for ensuring children’s safety and well-being. Superior Court Judge Richard Loftus, Jr. declared Sept. 6, 2006, Dr. Nancy S. Freeman Day, noting “no one has given as much time and talent as she has.” Fellow commissioners praised her for making the commission a more professional organization.

Nancy was an avid reader and started the docent program at the then-new San Jose Public Library, where she gave tours and narrated audio books for the blind. She also organized morning Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral and served in the local PEO chapter.

Nancy was an expert knitter and spent hours making blankets that drew top dollar at various charity events. She knitted a beautiful, intricately designed cover for a chair and ottoman that won Best of Show in the Santa Clara County Fair. Her family (and others, including her manicurist) looked forward to her knitted slippers every Christmas.

Nancy loved to travel, and she and Jim would take their children and grandchildren on trips all over the world. One of their favorite places to visit was China, where she and Jim taught courses on technical writing and electrical engineering, respectively. Other favorite adventures included a photo safari in Africa, river cruises in Europe, and travels in South America and the Galapagos.

She was born Sept. 24, 1941, in Erie, Pennsylvania, and attended St. Benedicts Catholic School and worked part-time at her grandparents’ neighborhood grocery store through high school. Just before her senior year, she met the love of her life, Jim, at aparish dance. They married on June 16, 1962, and had three sons, Jim, Mark and Peter. They moved to San Jose in 1982.

She earned a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in education at University of Detroit and a doctorate in administration, labor relations and personnel at Wayne State University in Detroit. She was an accomplished writer whose papers were presented at multiple educational research forums.

Her diverse work experience included chair for the Human Services Committee of the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury; volunteer projects coordinator for the San Jose Historical Museum; director of data organization and systems management at the Admissions Office for SJSU; program director at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Navy Campus at Moffett Field, California; and assistant director of institutional research at the University of Detroit.

She is survived by her husband, sons Jim and Peter, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A private celebration of life is planned for her and her son Mark, who died Dec. 21, 2024. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Scholarship Fund at SJSU online or by mailing a check to Tower Foundation San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0183.