Wilson Cleveland Freeman was not a gregarious storyteller but once he got started, he was a quite compelling one. There was the time as a teen, for example, he shot and killed an alligator that had the misfortune to take up roost in Indian Creek just outside of Bowden. There was the time after the end of World War II when he came across a family of starving Gypsies in Austria, and helped keep them alive by giving them deer he'd killed on patrol. And there was the time he was arrested and handcuffed at a packed PTA meeting, charged with "insubordination" because he was leaving his job as principal of Benedict Elementary School in Cedartown to become the superintendent of schools in Haralson County (once the deputy sheriff removed the handcuffs, the PTA proceeded to give him a silver serving dish as a farewell gift). Mr. Freeman – a retired educator and World War II veteran – died Sunday, March 16, 2014 in Carrollton. He was 89, and lived a life in full. He was born Nov. 17, 1924 in Coweta County, the son of Grover Cleveland Freeman and Betty Lou Presnal Freeman, and grew up in Bowden. He was a member of the famed 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (I Company), part of the 101st Airborne Division that received the Presidential Unit Citation at the end of the war. The division was immortalized in such films as Saving Private Ryan, Battleground and HBO's Band of Brothers. Mr. Freeman fought as a machine-gunner in one of the key moments of World War II, the Siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He was one of the first American soldiers to descend upon Hitler's hideaway in Berchtesgaden. He helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp and later led a security detail at the U.S. Army headquarters in Frankfurt. The paratroopers in the 501st were known for the battle cry "Geronimo!" Upon learning of Mr. Freeman's health issues, a fellow veteran of the 501st sent him the following message on Facebook: "Stay in there, Brother. Stand in the door. Geronimo!" After the war, Mr. Freeman became the first member of his family to earn a college degree (while working as a waiter at the Greenfront Restaurant, where he was sometimes privy to the dinner talk of investigators who were later immortalized in the book Murder In Coweta County). After graduation, he became an educator. He taught at College Street Elementary School in Carrollton and at the elementary school in Sandhill. He then became principal of Buchanan High School, followed by Benedict Elementary School. He was elected Haralson County's school superintendent in 1968, where he oversaw the integration of the school system. He also coached the first integrated Little League baseball team in Haralson County. After he returned to Carroll County, he spent much of his education career as principal of elementary schools in Yorkville and then Union in Paulding County. He was a beloved mentor to his students. Mr. Freeman's son, for example, didn't find out until years later that his favorite teacher in high school had once been one of his father's favorite students. Or that she went to college to become a teacher only because his father recommended her for a scholarship. After his retirement, Mr. Freeman was an avid hunter (he once killed a deer at 600 yards while sitting in the cab of his truck) and outdoorsman who enjoyed working the land. The kiwi he grew was given to friends and sold at Farmer's Fresh Market. Mr. Freeman was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Milton Freeman and John Griffis Freeman, and a sister, Martha Freeman Tucker. He is survived by his son, Scott Wilson Freeman, and his wife Tommie Bandy Freeman. He is survived by a sister, Louise Wiggins. He is also survived by sons Lyle Garrett and Bill Gentry; daughters Vesta (and Ralph) Ayers, Celia (and Ken) Miller and Mimi (and Johnny Jackson) Gentry. He had four grandchildren: Ryan Ayers, Russ Ayers, Chad Leatherwood and Katie Fehring, He had eight grandchildren: Layne Fehring, Haley Fehring, Amelia Ayers, Anna Ayers, Aliyah Ayers, Asher Ayers, Ella Ayers and Issac Ayers. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 19, at 1 p.m. at the Carrollton Presbyterian Church with Pastor Jan Tolbert officiating. Pallbearers will be Layne Fehring, Chad Leatherwood, Ken Miller, Johnny Jackson, Ryan Ayers and Russ Ayers. Honorary pallbearers will be the American Legion Honor Guard. Interment will follow at Carroll Memorial Gardens, with a full military salute. Family will receive friends at Almon Funeral Home on Tuesday, March 18, from 5 until 8 p.m. Messages of condolence can be sent to the family at www.almonfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hands of Hope, 774 Pleasant Ridge Road, Carrollton, Georgia 30117, American Legion, P.O. Box 647, Carrollton, Georgia 30112, Open Hands, P.O. Box 1818, Carrollton, Georgia 30112 or Christ Community Health Services, P.O. Box 2344, Augusta, Georgia 30903. Almon Funeral Home, Carrollton