Freeman Peabody

Funeral Services for Freeman Peabody, 83, of Ekalaka is 2:00 pm, Monday, February 9, 2009 at Stevenson Funeral Home in Ekalaka. Burial will be in the Beaver Lodge Cemetery. Visitation will be on Sunday from 4 ? 9 pm at the Stevenson Funeral Home and will continue on Monday, from 9 until service time. Freeman Peabody passed away on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at the Dahl Memorial Nursing Home in Ekalaka. Freeman was born on the family homestead to Walter and Mary (Hill) Peabody on August 20, 1925. He attended the local country schools and graduated with high scores from the eighth grade. He stayed at the ranch, working for his dad until he was 16. At this time, he took a tour working various jobs around the country. He ended up in the Camp Crook area working for his sister, Helen and his good friend and brother-in-law, Mart Tennant. He enjoyed the work and fun with this family. In the spring of 1948, he married Ellen Clare Larve. She and her son, Francis Lee lived with Freeman until 1958. They had one son together in 1954, Dallas Dale. Freeman had returned to the family ranch around this year as well. He and his dad worked out a deal for Freeman to buy the ranch. In 1960, he married Barbara Hedges, they worked the ranch together from the beginning. In 1961, Shane was born and exactly a year later Zane was born. They were busy raising three kids, horses and cattle. Freeman loved to rope with his kids and play cards. He did the same with family, friends and neighbors. Freeman was born in an era when a person?s word was his worth. This was important all through his life. Along with working and raising livestock, he loved to trade horses and always hoped to make a little money at it. In the community, he was a founder of the Ekalaka Track and Arena. He enjoyed putting in the hours to make this organization a success. During the Days of 85, he packed the flag several times and either roped, raced, picked up or opened the chute over many many years. Some of his favorite memories were about taking relay strings to the fairs at Baker and Ekalaka. One summer he took nine head of horses to Baker in one horse trailer. He entered the teams as Kittelmann, Gentry and Peabody; also in the mix was a Strub jockey. This was just like him ?something fun with a crowd and group of horses moving fast. ? Freeman always said that his life was pretty good ?For an old sheepherder?. He had often told us about being a young lad practicing with a rope out on the gumbo. He loved to rope sheep and laughed about the shearing crew betting to see if he would miss or not. Freeman felt like he had lived a lot from the time at that sheep wagon through the arrival of the grandkids. Each of them has a certain ?Grandad? characteristic. Freeman can be seen and will continue to be seen through actions, looks, thoughts or by a couple of girls who can swing a rope like their ?Gramps?. Freeman is survived by his wife, Barbara, Ekalaka, MT; a son, Shane (Jennifer) Peabody, Ekalaka, MT; a daughter, Zane Martin, Rapid City, SD; six grandchildren, Mindy, Mary, Julie, J. D. , Carol & Emily and three great grandkids; a brother, Elvin ?Tuffy? Peabody, Ekalaka, MT; a sister, Ita Coons, Ekalaka, MT and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; a son Dallas; a son-in-law, Darrell Martin; two brothers, Gordon and Earl and a sister, Helen Tennant.


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Burial Date: February 9, 2009
Funeral Home Ekalaka, MT

Funeral Service: Monday, Stevenson Funeral Home, Ekalaka, MT.