Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

May 28, 2026

CHARLOTTE, NC – Howard L. Freese, devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2026 at the age of 84. Born on December 9, 1941, in Charleston, West Virginia, Howard was the eldest son of the late Alice O’Dell Freese and Floyd Herschel Freese. Howard’s legacy includes intellectual brilliance, formidable leadership, and deep devotion to his family, faith, and the arts.

Raised in the West Virginia communities of St. Albans and Nitro, Howard spent an active youth balancing academics, athletics, and community service, while also ably accepting the lead male figure role in his household as his father honorably served the nation in both World War II and the Korean War.  Howard played football, played trombone in the marching band, and learned the art of fine cabinet-making alongside his father. His lifelong passion for music began in these early years as he regularly played the piano for his local Methodist Church.

Driven by a sharp intellect, he went on to attend Columbia University in New York City. Working his way through school, Howard played football, sang in the prestigious Columbia University Chorus—culminating in a memorable performance for President Dwight D. Eisenhower—and was an active member of the Beta Theta Pi social fraternity and Theta Tau engineering fraternity. He graduated from Columbia in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, earning a spot on the Dean’s List.

Howard began his distinguished professional journey with Corning Glass Works in Blacksburg, Virginia, before relocating to Corning, New York. He went on to earn a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance with high honors at Syracuse University, and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma business honorary society. His career later brought him south to Charlotte, where he served as Vice President of Luwa Corporation (a Swiss-based Bechtlercorporation), spearheading major international ventures and complex chemical process plants. He also lent his leadership as President and CEO of E.J. Smith & Sons Corporation before embarking on a monumental 25-year tenure with ATI Allvac (Allegheny Technologies) in Monroe, North Carolina. It was at Allvac where Howard served as project leader for a groundbreaking portfolio of thirteen United States and European patents. His work revolutionized structural orthopedic applications and surgical implants, as he himself directly benefited from his own professional legacy, wearing the very advancements he helped create when he underwent a successful titanium hip replacement.

His transformative corporate contributions were matched by his towering legacy of professional service. A registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina, Howard was deeply involved with the American Society for Testing & Materials International beginning in 1989. He served as Vice Chairman of Committee F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices, and chaired numerous committees and metallurgical subcommittees that established crucial global safety and manufacturing standards for surgical implants. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, ASTM International bestowed upon him its highest organizational honor: the prestigious ASTM International Award of Merit and the accompanying title of Fellow. He was also a respected member of the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Allied Health, and the Society for Biomaterials, and was frequently listed in Who’s Who in Engineering.

Beyond his professional triumphs, Howard’s deep faith and civic duty guided his everyday life. He served as an Elder in his church in Elmira, New York, and was an active Shriner and lifelong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, eventually serving as Chairman of the Charlotte Northern area. As a dedicated officer and leader at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, he chaired the Building and Grounds Committee, served as a compassionate Stephen Minister, sang in the choir, actively worked with the homeless program, and provided steadfast support to the AIDS Task Force. It was within the aisles of Myers Park Presbyterian that his strong faith led him to meet the love of his life, Gail Brinn Wilkins. Later in life, he also dedicated his time to The Wee Kirk Presbyterian Church in Linville, North Carolina, where he served on the Board and developed the church's very first website. His quiet philanthropy also extended back to education and the arts, supporting business and music scholarships at the University of West Virginia, Meredith College (his wife’s alma mater), Queens University, and the Myers Park Music Endowment, while continually supporting several small churches in West Virginia.

Howard was preceded in death by his beloved parents and his younger brother, James Stephen Freese. He leaves behind his devoted and spirited wife, Gail Brinn Wilkins, daughter Laura Freese Giffin and sons Daniel Frederick Freese and Matthew Stephen Freese; grandchildren Jacob Frederick Giffin (and wife, Ariana Nicole Millias Giffin), Kyle Lee Giffin, and Ariella Freese; three treasured great-grandchildren, Calvin Kyle Giffin, Ellie Mai Giffin, Walker Chris Giffin; his sister-in-law, Caroline Genevieve Freese, nephews James Lewis Freese and Brady Stephen Freese and niece Stephanie Lea Freese Closson; and his Wilkins family, Elizabeth Hartness Wilkins Hardison, her husband Christopher Louis Hardison, and grandson Rufus Alexander Hardison. 

His family and friends will remember Howard’s love of music, the natural world, and history. He also loved his spicy, nightly games of cards or backgammon with Gail and a good prank. He shared his lifelong passion for the arts as an active, long-term member of Charlotte Concerts, and as Chairman of the Artist Selection Committee, bringing world-class national and international orchestras and musicians to the Charlotte region. His personal collection of classical and jazz favorites was vast, and he was known to never miss a beat on the dance floor. A true man of all seasons, Howard loved working with the earth, cultivating beauty at his properties in Charlotte and at his beloved Sans Souci in the Blue Ridge Mountains. His passion about history and human culture led him to travel and explore the world where he would display his ability to connect with each new person, resulting in long chats and quiet, enduring friendships. Howard will be warmly remembered for his kindness, unique sense of humor, his stylish sense of dress, an uncompromising insistence on good grammar, and an impeccable dedication to order, detail, and preparedness.

The family is grateful for the loving care provided by My Angels Home Health and VIA Health Partners.

A memorial service celebrating Howard’s life will be held at Myers Park Presbyterian Church on Friday, June 12, 2026, at 10:45am, with a reception in Oxford Hall to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Gail Brinn Wilkins and Howard L. Freese Music Fund at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, 2501 Oxford Place, Charlotte, NC 28207, or to an organization meaningful to you.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.