Freda Mae Greenebaum

July 31, 2019

Freda Mae Greenebaum, 84, of Fort Collins, died July 31, 2019. Freda was born to parents Lacie and Marvin Seldon in Winchester, Virginia, where she and her brother Wendell were raised by Lacie Brill, and where she graduated from Handley High School. Growing up, the Apple Blossom Festival was always a very big deal and one year while in high school, Freda was named a Princess on the Apple Blossom Court. Her family still has fond memories from years of attending the festival – the pageant, parades, and of course the apples! After high school, Freda studied in Winchester, Virginia, at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Boston to become a Registered Nurse. Her medical experience also inspired her to earn a paralegal degree. In 1958, Freda married Howard Greenebaum, and they had three children, Rob, Julie and Sallye. Freda worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse at Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Maryland, where she was awarded Nurse of the Year by Governor Parris Glendening. She also taught childbirth classes and started a Prenatal Grief Counseling Program. After retirement, she traded her scrubs for fashion, working at various department stores. Freda was incredibly creative and artsy. She did calligraphy, needlepoint, knitting, and leatherwork. She very much enjoyed theater and was part of several book clubs over the years. She excelled at gardening, one of the few people who could keep African Violets alive! She was a member of Timberline Church in Fort Collins. Always youthful in spirit, Freda especially loved spending time with her children and grandkids, with whom she shared smiles, laughter, and her love! She also shared many adventures with her three longtime nursing friends from Maryland – "the YaYas”. We will all remember Freda as the most positive, thankful, compassionate and funny person we know! Freda is survived by her children, Rob Greenebaum of Ocean City, MD, Julie Pfeifle (Rob), of Scottsdale, AZ, and Sallye Greenebaum of Fort Collins; grandchildren, Nicholas Loewenstein, Katie Loewenstein, Sydney Pfeifle, and Chase Beranek; former husband, Howard Greenebaum of Portland, OR; her brother, Wendell Seldon; sister-in-law, Barbara; nieces and nephews, Greg, Steve, Beverly, and Lynn; and the YaYas. A private Celebration of Freda’s Life will be held at a later date. For anyone wishing to donate in Freda's name, The Alzheimer's Association has become a special non-profit to our family.