November 12, 1947 – July 25, 2025
Pastor Joe Freeman, 77, Carmel, passed away on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Story Cottage at Carey Grove in Carmel. He was born on November 12, 1947, in Columbus, Ohio.
Pastor Joe received his Bachelor of Arts from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and his Master of Divinity Studies from Yale University. He was initially assigned as an associate pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Lima, Ohio, and then Bethany Lutheran Church in Englewood, Colo. In 1981, he relocated to Fishers and founded Christ the Savior Lutheran Church. He grew the parish from starting in the basement of the Lions Club to over 1,200 baptized members by knocking on doors one by one and inviting families to his church. This demonstrated his passion for sharing Christ and desire to mentor others. Pastor Joe never met a stranger and was a big advocate of bringing different denominations of the Christian faith together. He left the church he founded in late 2011 and began working at Heartland Church in Fishers, where he finished his career.
He is survived by his daughters, Rachel (Dan) Austin and Hannah Freeman; grandchildren, Kiara Elizabeth Jackson and Cameron Joseph Leonard; and sister, Paula Diane (Tom) Miller.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Dolores Garretson.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, August 1, 2025, at Heartland Church, 14900 E. 126th St., Fishers. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to the time of service. Private burial will be at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Indianapolis.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Heartland Church for Mentoring Community Youth, 14900 E. 126th St., Fishers, IN 46037, and please leave a comment with your favorite memory of Pastor Joe.
Condolences: randallroberts.com