Obituary of Barbara Freis

Barbara Freis, beloved wife, mom, daughter, and friend passed away with strength, courage, dignity, and grace, which is how she lived her life.

Barbara was born in Southeast Colorado, where she grew up with her mom and dad, grandparents, and extended family. During the War, she moved to Chicago with her mom and dad. She often affectionately recalled the times spent with her Chicago family. After the War, Barbara and her parents moved to Denver’s East Side to be near their family. She attended Park Hill Elementary, Gove Junior High, and East High School. Weeks before Barbara was scheduled to move to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, the love of her life and husband of 55 years, Alan Freis, proposed. They were married the following spring. 

Barbara always put her family first. Spending time with her treasured family and her many life-long friends brought her endless joy and happiness. Barbara was highly conscientious and possessed a strong work ethic. She embraced all her roles with unwavering dedication and enthusiasm. She was proud of and took pleasure in her work with Alan at the Bagel Deli and Applejack.

Music and dance played an important part in Barbara's life. Following in her mom’s footsteps, she excelled at and enjoyed playing the piano. Whether at home or traveling, she had a knack for spotting musicians. Barbara loved attending concerts including Elvis; The Jacksons (Victory Tour); Barbra Streisand; Neil Diamond; Barry Manilow; Elton John; Cher; Earth, Wind & Fire; and many more. She also loved going to movies, the theater and the symphony.

One of Barbara’s passions was her volunteer work with the NCJW's Children’s Traveling Theatre, where she performed at underserved schools in the Denver area, bringing smiles to children who had never seen live theater. Additionally, Barbara was a member of Temple Emanuel’s Sisterhood. She was always willing to try new activities, including needlepoint, cake decorating, cooking classes, skiing, swimming, tennis, Jazzercise, and Pilates. She was also an avid reader and lifelong learner.

Barbara loved traveling, especially to LA, Palm Springs, NYC, and Europe.  And she was an avid sports fan, cheering on the local DU Hockey, Nuggets, and Broncos teams. In January 2005, Barbara and Alan were honored at the Hebrew Educational Alliance’s 72nd Anniversary Dinner, with their family proudly celebrating with them.Barbara’s kindness, generosity, integrity, sense of humor, sharp wit, humility (and of course, her love of blue jeans!), will always be remembered and cherished. Her bright light will continue to shine on everyone whom she loved and touched.

Barbara was preceded in death by Alan Freis (z”l) and her adored parents, Irving and Rose Reiner (z”l). Barbara is survived by her daughter, Shari Freis, and many cousins and friends in Denver, California, Maryland, and Europe. 

Graveside, Thursday, March 26, 1:30pm, Mount Nebo Cemetery. 

Shiva will be held at "The Bistro" at Shalom Park (located inside the J. Leonard Levy Family Health & Wellness Center, Address: 14800 E Belleview Drive, Aurora, CO 80015)  Dates/Times: Thursday March 26th, After the service until 7PM and Friday, March 27th, 1PM - 3PM

In lieu of flowers, Tributes in Barbara’s memory to any of the following would be greatly appreciated: Shalom Park, Colorado Torah Institute, the Michael Schatz Memorial Lecture Series (Temple Emanuel, Denver), Concern Foundation (Los Angeles), or a favorite charity.