Philip Morris Freeston passed away at home on March 19, 2025 at the age of 69 years.

Morris is survived by: his loving wife, Melanie Freeston; daughters, Lanelle Freeston and Chandra (Bryan) Fischer; granddaughters, Rayah and Brinley Fischer; sister, Sharon (Ian) Carruthers; brothers-in-law, Keith (Debbie) Pike and Kevin (Yvonne) Pike; aunt, Linda Hope; uncle, Lloyd Nichol; many beloved, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Morris was predeceased by: his parents, Philip and Merle Freeston; and sister and brother-in-law, Judy and Denis Huber.

The Funeral Service for Morris will be conducted from Neilburg Hall on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM. If you are unable to attend in person, you may view the live streaming of the service posted on McCaw Funeral Service website under Morris' obituary.

Donations in memory of Morris may be made to Japan Karate Centre (lloydminsterkarate@outlook.com) or Neilburg Community Hall.

Thank you everyone for coming to be a part of this celebration of life for Uncle Mo, and to everyone that is joining us virtually. To look out today and see the sheer number of people in this room that he impacted is staggering, however certainly not surprising. His sense of humour, creative attitude, and charismatic personality were defining factors that influenced not only the people that he already knew, but also those that were lucky enough to meet him and build relationships with him throughout his life.

Morris was born June 9th,1955 in Neilburg. He was the youngest child of Phil & Merle Freeston. If you asked older sisters, Judy and Sharon…he was the much loved but most spoiled baby brother. They lived at the farm south of Waseca but when he was about 5, they moved to the Nichol farm, where he grew up and eventually built his own house and he and Melanie raised Lanelle and Chandra.

If you knew Mo, you also know how much he liked to move things along. So much so, that he was actually one of the first known distracted drivers.  Around age 10 he was moving cattle with his family and was given the job of following the herd with a two tonne truck.  He soon got bored of the slow pace and decided that he might as well read a book at the same time.  It wasn’t long before his dad Phil noticed the truck half in the ditch!  His sister Sharon remembers seeing only the top of his head through the windshield because he had both feet on the brake and a death grip on the steering wheel with both hands. Suffice it to say the book stayed away after that but it was also the beginning of his rocky relationship with cows and horses! He much preferred working with machinery, however Keith Pike remembers when his dad Gerald, and Phil were talking about a new John Deere tractor Phil had bought. Phil said, it was so good that it was near bulletproof.  Gerald then asked  “bulletproof yes, but is it Morris proof?” Phil with a grin, replied…NOTHING’S Morris proof! And in the theme of moving things along, Mo never shied away from a race. A story was shared about the days when Morris was dating Melanie. Gerald Pike and Melanie’s brothers were talking about trucks and giving Morris a hard time about his Chevy. Soon there was a challenge of a race to the road (with a bottle as the prize) and Morris took the bait, licking his lips at the prospect of an easy win.  Unbeknownst to him, Gerald with the snowplough and brothers armed with shovels had buried his truck in snow. When he got outside he realized his truck was completely covered. He tried to get it out and was not too happy…..they never did get that bottle.

 After his schooling in Marsden, he completed his surveying technology diploma at NAIT. His first surveying job was with Torchinsky Consulting, where he gained enough experience to kick-off his own company, M&M Surveying. In addition to surveying, Morris began working on the family farm with his mom and dad. Cause let’s get honest…if you want to be a farmer you better have a back-up plan. Over time, M&M evolved into Transit Technical Services Ltd.. For over four decades, those that knew him could clearly see the passion he had for his profession, and the commitment he had to his employees. But beyond that passion and commitment, he was also pretty handy at using his professional knowledge in other creative ways. Mo once received a speeding ticket in a newly lowered speed zone, which he felt was unjust and so decided to fight it in court. He casually presented all the evidence collected with his surveying equipment, explaining the speed he was traveling, angle and location of the sign, and frequency of the warning sign blinking of lowering the speed. His great surveying skills were used to prove the cop wrong, and he won. Only Mo would use a quarter of a million dollars worth of survey equipment to get out of a $150.00 speeding ticket!

When Morris first saw Melanie, she was performing on a TV show and he declared “I’m going to marry that girl”.  And true to his word, he soon met Melanie Pike at a wedding dance in Maidstone and just one year later,in 1978, he married the love of his life. They raised their two daughters, Lanelle and Chandra on the farm where he grew up. 

Morris was such a dedicated Dad, and loved to be involved in absolutely every aspect of his girls’ life. From sports, to music lessons, to leading several different 4-H projects over the years…if the girls were into something, he was in there like a dirty shirt! The close relationship with his girls didn’t change as they became adults, but he gained a son when Bryan married Chandra. After his last granddaughter Brinley came along, he wrapped his arm around Bryan in the hospital and said, “well, I guess it’s just you and me!”  As the only “guys” in the Freeston clan, Bryan and Mo were thick as thieves and were forever doing things together and supporting each others’ “CREATIVE?” sides. 

Morris was known for his interests and hobbies, spending massive amounts of time working on passion projects that suited his curious nature. One such passion was his love of capturing memories. He and Melanie began doing photography for local weddings, and in 1980 the first video camera was brought into the house. Together they captured local events and family gatherings, being sure to share the notable moments with those that he surrounded himself with. 

Morris was incredibly active throughout his life, playing softball, motorbiking, doing martial arts, and even learning to snowboard at the ripe old age of 45. His martial arts career was a source of fascination and excitement during his time at NAIT. He first completed 2 years of Gung Fu in Edmonton, (and yes, it really is GUNG fu, I googled it 6 times.) He then moved to explore the world of Karate while he was completing survey work for Lloydminster Husky Upgrader project. Having a young family and a hectic work-life caused him to take a step back from martial arts until he built his new house in Lloydminster some years later. He quickly rejoined the Lloydminster Karate-Do with Senseis Cameron Stewart and Josh Matthews. He dedicated massive amounts of time to training and achieved his black belt in the spring of 2023. The family joined him to watch and celebrate the official presentation of his belt in May of 2024. (If you look at the belt in the shadow box off to the side, the Japanese characters on the left hand side say Freeston.)  Since then, he found joy and satisfaction in taking on a mentorship role to help instruct the younger members of the dojo.

Morris had a great love of music, and every aspect of his life seemed to be filled with it. Whether it was teaching himself how to play the guitar, blasting hard rock in his truck, or playing in the family band with Melanie, his parents, Uncle Jack Freeston and drummer Rick Douglas. He spent countless hours practicing and then entertaining at weddings and other functions with their band..first known as The Last Resort and later Harmony Express. Let’s be real..Morris was an opportunist. He thought Melanie was smokin’ but the chance to have her fill the roles as both girlfriend and lead singer was not lost on him! 

Morris always seemed to be ahead of the curve in terms of technology. Long before they were common, he purchased his first DOS computer in 1978, followed by a windows computer prior to installing the ever famous dial-up internet (yes..those of us of a certain age have that squawking sound burned into our memories.) In true Morris fashion, there was no taking the family computer to a store to get upgraded, he did it all himself. He also sold Trimble GPS for tractors long before they became mainstream. Another technological first, was his purchase of a drone, which combined his love of photography with his passion for surveying. 

Morris always had a desire to tinker, create and build. But most often, the purpose of his inventions was to entertain and bring people together to share a laugh. One of his most famous creations was his home-made cannon..the Master Mo Blaster. Many things were launched into the atmosphere with the various editions of this invention. What a show he put on last summer for the Freeston family reunion, when the largest and most industrial version of the Master Mo-Blaster rose from the ashes. This time, he welded the oversized cannon to an auger frame with a powered winch to raise and lower it. He put on one hell of a show...until it rejoined the ashes once again. But Morris was not discouraged..he just moved on to a fireworks show that would make any pyrotechnic redneck proud. One year, after Lanelle won a Backyard BBQ party from a local radio station, Mo took it upon himself to invite them all to the farm and throw the biggest party they’d ever seen. The music was loud and the bonfire and fireworks were massive enough to be acknowledged by Norad! 

Morris and Melanie were famous for putting on their tobogganing parties on the big hill. Typical of Morris’ “go big or go home approach”, the natural slope of the hill was not quite enough. He spent many hours one summer using an industrial scale dirt mover to shape the hill for optimum tobogganing trajectory. But even that wasn’t enough. He then built a snow groomer to use on it to ensure maximum speed! He got the greatest kick out of sharing his inventions with friends and family..and as a side benefit, it fulfilled his love of going fast, building big fires, and blowing shit up!

Typical of someone who is good at DEstruction, Mo was very capable in CONstruction. He built both his house at the farm and in Lloyd and was so capable with framing, plumbing, electrical and general fix-it work. And if it didn’t exist or work the way he wanted, he’d find a way to build it. 

Although he never took himself too seriously, Morris had a quiet sense of confidence. Despite his easy-going manner, he was not afraid to share and/or debate his beliefs, including those of a political nature. He never shied away from a leadership role or from volunteering his time to assist with local community projects and causes. He served for many years as a director on the Co-op board as well as on the Neilburg hospital board, as a 4-H leader, Focus on Sabbatical, and he will always be remembered as the enthusiastic pie auctioneer for local fundraisers. In addition to the community involvement that was easily recognized, his quiet work behind the scenes to expand and improve the Wycollar Cemetery was one of his pet projects. He moved dirt, and planted numerous spruce trees simply for the betterment of his local community. When Melanie jokingly called him Johnny Appleseed, he would say, “don’t be afraid to plant a tree under whose shade you will never sit”. Mo was also a mentor to many. Jordan Scott explained what huge impact he had on him, as a young man in construction. He was the guy that taught me about slope percentages and elevations and I still use what he taught me with my own crews,  every single day. 

Morris’ relationship with children was one that had to be observed to be appreciated. As much as he was drawn to them, they were drawn to him as well. Every child he spoke to felt important, listened to and like they were the most special person in the room. His own childlike enthusiasm was contagious, and the way he made people feel important was truly a gift. But if you wanted to see Morris at his best..with the biggest smiles..just watch him with his grandaughters. Chandra shared a story about the first time that she took Rayah to her mom and dad’s as a baby. He opened the door and exclaimed “my girl”...then promptly lifted Rayah out of her car seat and into the air like a scene from the Lion King. 

Rayah and Brinley…you were the light of his life. He lit up when he talked with you and to others about you. He was incredibly proud of you both and no conversation was complete without him excitedly telling us all what you were doing..and usually having  pictures and video to prove it.

And it wasn’t just kids that he related to. He made everyone from little kids, to teenagers to seniors feel so special, important, loved. He was genuinely interested in people, what they were doing, what they were interested in and what was happening in their lives. He loved to entertain people AND HIMSELF with witty puns and his dry sense of humour.  He was always welcoming to everyone and it was common to be greeted with a big hug and a, “Hey there young feller!” (Although I find that interesting because I was normally referred to as peckerhead or numb nuts) 

Morris was a part of so many things that they can’t all be shared in one short speech. What I can share with you is  what I’ve learned from him. Morris approached every day and chose happiness. To be happy and have fun is a choice and the way he lived his life was the best example of that. It was this fundamental and simple approach that will forever be his legacy. Morris WAS the party!