James Herbert Freudenberger died on August 16, 2026, at the age of 88. Jim was born on April 23, 1938, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, to Benjamin Rudolph Freudenberger and Luella Frieda (Fruendt) Freudenberger. Jim grew up on the family farm and helped his dad in dozer oil field work, clearing land, building ponds, and building terraces on local farms. He graduated from Coyle High School. As a senior, he received a trophy for being the outstanding FFA member in Logan County.

Jim graduated from Oklahoma State University with degrees in Animal Science and Business. During college, he worked construction driving heavy equipment on bridges over the Cimarron River on I-35 and building the dam on Lake Eufaula. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army. While stationed in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, he went on a blind date with a student nurse in Johnson City, New York, named Kaye Whitmore. This relationship blossomed, and when he returned from a 14 month deployment to Korea, Kaye was working in Sacramento. She met him in Oakland when the troopship arrived. That evening, he proposed in San Francisco. They married on October 3, 1964, at her home church in Abrahamsville, Pennsylvania.

They returned to Coyle where Jim began his lifelong career of farming, raising cattle, growing wheat and alfalfa, and doing dozer work. During his life, Jim took on many leadership roles. He served on the Logan County Farm Bureau Board of Directors for many years. In 1986, after a devastating flood to their home and farm along the Cimarron River, he was elected to serve on the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Board of Directors for nine years. Locally, he was in Coyle's first Lion's Club where he and the members repurposed a used truck to make it become the first fire truck for the town of Coyle. He was elected to the Coyle School Board where he served for 18 years, 13 years as president. Jim was elected to serve on the East Central Farm Credit Board of Directors for 12 years.

Faith was important to Jim. He was an active member of the Zion Lutheran Church in Guthrie. He held many leadership roles as elder, president of the congregation, and the role he was most proud of, chairman of the building committee. He worked many hours in that role until the Berk Fellowship Hall was done. No longer would funeral dinners, wedding receptions, ect. have to be down winding stairs in the church basement.

Jim and Kaye raised three children on the farm: James Arthur, Janet Kaye, and Judith Lynn learned the values of hard work, dependability, and responsibility that would carry them well into the future. Stock shows, 4-H and FFA events were times that Jim enjoyed. He saved early on so all three children could graduate from Oklahoma State University without any college debt.

His eight grandchildren were a special joy for him. Education was important to Jim. Watching those grandkids become responsible young adults who would pursue their dreams, in careers they wanted, made him smile.

Kaye often said Jim was honest, to a fault. He would give you his honest opinion, whether you liked it or not; a handshake was good for him, and in business you could trust him.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Ben and Luella.

Survivors include his wife Kaye Freudenberger; children: James Arthur Freudenberger, Janet Kaye Freudenberger-Hies and husband Michael, and Judith Lynn Cardwell and husband Bart; siblings: Jeanne Card and Paul Freudenberger; and his grandchildren: Sadie Maltz and husband Zane, Sophia Freudenberger, Sean Freudenberger, Stella Freudenberger, Christian Hies, Anna Hies, Abby Henry and husband Trace, and Otto Cardwell.

Visitation will be held on Friday, August 21, 2026 at Hayes Funeral Home from 12:00-7:00 PM.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the Zion Lutheran Church (424 E Warner Ave, Guthrie, OK 73044). Burial will follow at the Lutheran Cemetery at Pleasant Valley, Oklahoma.

Memorials may be made to the Zion Lutheran Church, The Tunnels to Towers Foundation (t2t.org), or the Coyle School Foundation (coyleschoolfoundation.com).