Obituary: Norman David Freid

Norman David Freid, 78, passed away May 3, 2020. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend to many. Norman was born during World War II in Bronx, N.Y., the son of Mack and Rachel Freid. He grew up in New York and Tampa, Fla., attended Tulane University in New Orleans and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Fla., and interned at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, where he first met Barbara Hanford, his wife-to-be. He completed his three-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University/Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, in 1970 and married Barbara that same year.

He was a retired gynecologic and obstetric physician and surgeon who always felt blessed to be able to make his living practicing a profession he loved so much.

After his residency and marriage, he went into the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander and was stationed at Naval Air Station Albany, Ga., where he was in charge of the small hospital on base there for two years. He then did a fellowship in infertility at the LA County USC Medical Center located in Los Angeles, where he and his wife lived for a year.

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In July 1973 he decided to start a solo private practice back in Georgia in the then small town of Snellville in Gwinnett County. He was the first OB/GYN specialist in the south part of the county. He loved and served this community for all of his professional career. He was instrumental in bringing a full-service hospital and served as the first chief of staff of Gwinnett Community Hospital, now known as Eastside Medical Center, currently with two campuses in Snellville that have provided medical care to the community now for four decades.

He delivered babies for his first 12 years and enlarged his practice with several excellent physicians. In 1985 he decided to leave the group practice and continue a solo practice in gynecology and infertility. This enabled him to focus on his great love for the next 17 years – gynecologic surgery.

Norman loved physical challenges and approached life with great good humor and a spirit of adventure. A runner of multiple marathons, he often spent his spare time with family and life-long friends seeking the next fun experience, running, on his bike or in the water. Snow and water skiing, in-line skating, kayaking and horseback riding were all parts of his adventuresome spirit. These activities extended to a love of volunteer work with Camp Big Heart in Winder, Ga., where for many summers he captained the pontoon boat for hundreds of mentally challenged children. He also was a founding and active member of Temple Beth David, mentoring a number of young people over the years. He was a co-founder of the Gwinnett Community Clinic in 1989, a minimal cost clinic for patients with little or no insurance. He loved fundraising for the clinic, which for many years benefited financially from proceeds from Run the Reagan road race, for which he also loved planning, volunteering and participating.

Most of all, Norman loved his family. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years Barbara; their two daughters and their husbands: Jessica and Stuart Beattie and Alison and William Smith. He is the beloved PopPop to his five wonderful grandchildren: Tyler, Will, C.J., Joey and Sarah. Other survivors include his brother and lifelong best friend Joel and his wife Ellie; beloved sister-in-law, along with their three children and spouses: Gerri and Jeff Kramer, Mark and Stephanie Freid, and Elizabeth and Devon Vocke; six great nieces and nephews: Max and Ethan, Jacob, Sophie and Joseph, and Mirabelle; many loving cousins and many, many friends. He will be greatly missed by all.

Due to the public health crisis his graveside service for immediate family only was May 5, at Eternal Hills Memory Gardens in Snellville. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations to Temple Beth David, P.O. Box 865, Snellville, GA 30078 or to Abbey Hospice Foundation, P.O. Box 68, Social Circle, GA 30025.

Barbara and the entire Freid family want to extend a special thank you to Empathy Senior Care caregivers: Jean-Marie Musabandesu, Brian Chitomfwa and Kelvin Sanjase for their excellent care to our beloved Norman over the past year. Their compassion and skill helped to ease our way on this difficult journey. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.