Stephen Howard Free, J.D., Ph.D., 66, of Hanover, Ind., passed away on Jan. 24, 2013, at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Ky. Steve was born on May 13, 1946, in Terre Haute, Ind., to Stephen A. and Marian Combs Free. He married Kathleen Walsh Free on Sept. 19, 1981.
Steve was an enthusiastic and lifelong scholar. He was a graduate of Greenfield High School and completed his undergraduate degree at Indiana University-Bloomington. He was a graduate of the Stanford Law School, and obtained a Ph.D. in psychology from Ball State University.
In his varied career, Steve was an associate/partner in the Noblesville law firms of Christian, Waltz, White, Klotz, and Free, and was a partner in the law firm of Holt, Fleck and Free. In addition to his law practice, Steve served as Noblesville City Court Judge from 1989-1991, and as attorney for the town of Arcadia, Ind. Steve was a member of the California and Indiana Bar Associations.
After leaving the practice of law and earning a doctoral degree in psychology, Steve worked for Seven Counties Services of Louisville Ky., and later as a forensic evaluator for the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in LaGrange, Ky., from which he retired in 2012.
It is difficult to convey Steve’s spirit and intellect in words. He was insatiable in his quest for knowledge, and appeared to effortlessly retain it all. He was a “phone buddy” on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and won a substantial prize for a friend with a total of 7 words! On a 2011, transatlantic crossing on the ocean liner Queen Mary 2, Steve was the American representative on the winning trivia team, delighting the audience with his knowledge of Old and New World trivia.
Steve’s hobbies included American-made high performance cars, photography, extensive and varied reading, Indonesian cooking, film noir, and gardening. He was an award-winning theater director for the Hamilton County Theater Guild, sang opera and tunes from the Great American Songbook in an enthusiastic baritone, and was the gentle if bemused guardian of a series of pets imposed upon him by his wife.
Add a keen wit, a kind heart, an unwavering sense of fairness, and a logical, disciplined mind, and you will have a picture of a man who will be sadly missed by his wife, family and friends.
Steve is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his father, Stephen A. Free; sister, Susan Free McAmis; god-daughter, Kristin Kathleen Walsh; and 10 nieces; six nephews; and one great-nephew.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother, Marian Combs Free.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, at Stillinger Family Funeral Home, Pasco Chapel, 1780 West Main Street, Greenfield, Indiana 46140.
Should friends desire, memorial contributions made be made to the charity of their choice.
Online condolences may be shared at www.stillingerfamilyfuneralhome.com
