Memorial Service for Don Freda
Donald Andrew Freda, Jr. passed away unexpectedly on Monday, December 30, 2024, after a short illness. He was surrounded by his wife and loved ones in Leesburg, VA. Donald—Don to friends—was born December 27, 1970, in Dayton, OH. His family moved to Dearborn, MI when he was 7. Don graduated from Crestwood High School and later moved to Reston, VA in 1998 to pursue a career in IT. He worked for Neustar for 20 years and was mostly recently working for Google.
He was preceded in death by his father, Donald A. Freda, Sr., his mother, Helen Huges, his nephew, Christopher Tate, and his father-in-law, Raul Garza. He is survived by his wife Natalie Garza and son Austin Garza, sisters, Cythina (Dale) Tate, Jeanine Freda and brother Geoffrey Freda, as well as extended family and friends who will forever cherish his memory.
Don was like no other! He taught himself how to play guitar by ear, he loved airplanes, history, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and had a vast knowledge of many things. He had a love hate relationship with the Detroit Tigers and Lions, that he got from years of watching games with his dad. His love for those things could never compare to the love he had for Natalie and Austin, 11. A friend said, “his face beamed bright enough to light a thousand cities, perhaps more” when he spoke of them, and many would agree.
Don was humble. He claimed that he never knew what to say, yet he could talk with you for hours about anything and everything. He kept up with long-distance friends through long phone conversations. He was always quick to help those in need and made his way through difficulty with humor. He also loved feeding people and would buy food for twenty when only two friends were coming over. His giant heart, bear hugs and contagious laugh will be greatly missed by all who were blessed enough to have known him.
A celebration of Donald’s life will be held at Reston Bible Church, 10:00am on January 24, 2025. Casual attire (not sad, dressy black) is welcomed. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests plants or donations be made to help with Austin’s future expenses (click here to donate via GoFundMe.)