James W. Freiburger, Jr.

James Walter Freiburger, Jr., 78, passed away in his sleep on March 14, 2024, at Canterfield of Bluffton, an assisted living facility.  Jim had been struggling to recover from a serious brain injury after a fall in early December.  The good Lord stepped in to end his suffering and take him to a better place.  He was preceded in death by his parents, James Walter Freiburger and Ann (Kokosa) Freiburger, and his older sister, Patricia Page.

Jim was born on August 4, 1945, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Jim’s family were devout Catholics, and he attended Saint John the Baptist Grade School.  He then went to Bishop Luers High School and excelled on the basketball court, as well as in harassing the Franciscan fathers with his lifelong friends.  So many stories!

He then attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1967.  Jim started his career at International Harvester Company (now Navistar) and was an engineer in their test labs.  After a few years, while both working and raising a young family with his first wife, Jim returned to school in Fort Wayne at Saint Francis College, where he graduated with an MBA. 

Jim’s career took him to the IH facility in Springfield, Ohio, then to Englewood, Florida where he operated a small business, and then to Statesville, North Carolina where he worked for the last 25 years of his career as an engineer at Thomas Built Buses in High Point (now a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America).  The latter part of his work there was as legal liaison with their attorneys, due to his engineering expertise.  After his retirement in 2007, Jim continued to serve as a consultant for school bus legal matters.  And, he and his wife took up competition bridge.  They traveled all around the Southeast to ACBL tournaments, where he excelled because engineers know probabilities!

Jim is survived by his wife of 46 years, Maryanne (Clarke) Freiburger.  Jim has two daughters by his first marriage, Katherine (Jack) Smith and Kristine (Web) Mitchell, and two stepsons, Andrew (Megan) Klenzak and Scott (Jessica) Klenzak.  Jim was fortunate to have eleven grandchildren: John and Julia Smith; Katelyn Mitchell (Noah) Hasty, Daniel and Ellie Mitchell; Ely Klenzak; and Audrey, Molly, Kevin, Ella and Charlie Klenzak.  Jim’s great granddaughter, Charlotte Jane Hasty, was born on the day he passed – truly the circle of life.  Jim is also survived by his younger sister, Jeanne (Thom) Jagielski.

Jim requested to be cremated and the arrangements were handled by Sauls Funeral Home in Bluffton, South Carolina.  In lieu of a service, his daughters wish to scatter his ashes in the water at the coast.  This is a fitting tribute to someone who lived his entire life loving the water.  Growing up, Jim’s family had a cottage at Clear Lake, Indiana, where he and his siblings spent their summers, along with his Fort Wayne friends.  Jim was a water boy – he could barefoot ski, and not just in the water, but also going over the ramp!  He loved to vacation in Florida on the Gulf Coast.  And then, he and his wife were fortunate to be able to live on Lake Norman in Cornelius, North Carolina for 27 years before moving to Bluffton, South Carolina to be closer to the ocean. Those were the years when the grandkids were growing up, and he loved to let them sit on his lap to drive the boat. 

Jim is also survived by his dog, Sadie.  Memorials may be made to Lake Norman Humane, 2106 Charlotte Highway, Mooresville NC 28117.  After his beloved labradoodle, Sydney, passed after a wonderful 12 years with the family at the lake, Sadie was rescued at LNH and provided Jim with endless hours of comfort during the last couple years of his life.

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