Ann Morris Milliner Freeman

Ann Morris Milliner Freeman, 64, of Lynchburg, Virginia passed away on Saturday, February 24, 2024, from a rare neurological condition. 

Ann is survived by her husband of 40 years Kriss Freeman; children Trevor Freeman, Stewart (Tyler) Jones and Genevieve (Kyle) Ryder; granddaughter Sullivan Spears Jones; mother Dorothy Hubbard Milliner; brother Cary (Holly) Milliner III; and fraternal nephews Cary Milliner IV and Gaines Milliner. 

Ann was predeceased by her father Cary Floyd Milliner Jr. (2016).

She was born in Nassawadox Memorial Hospital on Virginia’s Eastern Shore - known for agriculture, seafood, and small-town pace and values.  She spent all her childhood years in Onley, where she participated in activities at the Onley United Methodist Church, the Onley Pool, and summer days and nights in her outdoor playhouse and playing rousing games of kick-the-can with the kids from Caroline Avenue.

Ann attended high school at Broadwater Academy, graduating in 1977. She served as editor of the yearbook her senior year and played varsity softball for three seasons. She moved on from the Shore to study Economics at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville – graduating in 1981. Ann was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and remained close to many sisters.

Ann secured a management training position with a metro Washington DC bank (a career her grandfather enjoyed on the Shore) and quickly rose in the ranks. The bank is where Ann met Kriss in 1982 and the bond was instant and lasting. They married on September 10,1983.

When Ann’s first child Trevor was born (1987), she retired from the bank and focused on motherhood.  Since they were both from small towns, Ann and Kriss decided to move to the suburbs of Richmond in 1988 where Stewart (1990) and Genna (1992) were born. In 1994, the family relocated to Lynchburg, which welcomed and secured them for 30 years.

Once the children were well into middle school Ann resumed working at Employee Assistance Programs - AEP. She worked as a receptionist part time for over 12 years and loved the EAP team and the outreach of the agency.  To Ann, it was not like work at all. 

Over the years Ann always enjoyed trips to her childhood home, Onley, especially to expose the children to Shore life: crab picking parties, boat adventures to the barrier islands, and working in her father’s garden.  In fact, while she spent untold hours seeking an equal to the tomatoes out of that garden, few came close.  The trips always included church on Sunday mornings and Assateague Island beach in the afternoon – which had been her routine since childhood.  Her final trip to the Shore was this past Christmas season to hang wreaths on the doors at the hometown church.

If Ann had a special quality - in addition to being “Little Miss Sunshine” - it was her ability to forgive and forget. When raising a family, things can quickly go sideways, and it was no different for the Freemans.  However, usually within minutes of a frustrating matter, Ann was able to dust off, move on and talk about important things like “What’s everyone want for dinner?”

Which brings up a favorite pastime - good cooking.  While Kriss and the children had their favorite meals, Ann was especially well known for her spicy pimiento cheese, chicken pot pies and ice cream cakes.  She was not stingy with her recipes so those treats will be made for years.

Outside of her family, Ann had two passions: flowers and dogs.

Since Ann’s friends knew living by a forest made growing flowers a challenge, they often provided open access to their gardens or just dropped flowers off at her house. Kriss would often receive a picture of Ann picking flowers and a note “If you are looking for your bride - here she is.” On her daily hike, Ann would harvest anything blooming in the wild and make a tasteful arrangement.

Over the years, she had beloved retrievers: Dillard, Biscuit, Crockett, and now Bess. For decades Ann could be found on daily hikes with her dogs on the HumanKind property- just across the street from her home. She may have trekked more miles through that land than anyone - crossing fields, creeks, woods, and forests, regardless of the weather. 

In small ways Ann liked to give back to the community. After reading the weekly Flock Note (Holy Cross Catholic Church weekly digital flyer) Ann would go shopping to get the items Holy Cross needed to fill the church pantry that helps support Lynchburg’s needy families. She would send Kriss to daily mass loaded down. Ann truly enjoyed volunteering at Lynchburg Daily Bread and feeding everyone in need.

Ann and Kriss traveled quite a bit for Kriss’ work - crisscrossing the country for meetings and ceremonies and never missing an opportunity to see a new city.   Her favorite was heading to New York City with the children in tow and taking on the town while Kriss worked.  She enjoyed annual family beach trips to Duck, NC as well as excursion weekends with devoted friends.

And, while the travel was nice, home in Lynchburg was where her heart was at rest.   She thrived during holidays with the house full of her family (and grand dogs) or just in thousands of individual moments with her children to celebrate them like only a mother could.  She also loved spending time with her beloved group on Gorman Drive.

Since her CAA diagnosis in September 2020, the family has been so blessed that Ann was able to enjoy countless trips and gatherings - always surrounded and supported by amazing family and friends.

There have been several significant family milestones since that time: Stewart married Tyler in 2021 and Genevieve married Kyle in 2022. Recently Ann and Kriss celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Bald Head Island with dear friends. Perhaps the greatest recent milestone of all - the birth of her granddaughter Sullivan Spears Jones on June 26, 2023 - two days before Ann’s 64^th birthday. Her past eight months with Sullivan have been amazing for Ann.

Ann leaves behind so many warm memories for all that knew her – especially her big smile – which she shared with everyone.

 Ann will be remembered in a service at 1 p.m. at Holy Cross Church in Lynchburg, VA on Friday, March 1, 2024.  

She is posthumously contributing to two Lynchburg charities - Daily Bread and HumanKind - to help support their outreach programs.