Alexander Sexton Freund
Feb. 5, 1983-Sept. 1, 2022
Atherton, CA
Submitted by Linda Gray Sexton
Alexander Sexton Freund February 5, 1983–September 1, 2022
Alexander Sexton Freund, beloved son of Linda Gray Sexton of Annapolis, Maryland and John G Freund, of Atherton, California, died after a brave battle with a long illness on the first of September, 2022. He was only thirty-nine and made his home in Atherton and Menlo Park for thirty-five of those years.
In addition to his parents, he leaves behind many treasured family members: one of the most important relationships in his life would always be the one he shared with Nicholas Gray Freund, his brother, with whom he bonded in an abiding love, his stepmother, Linda Grais, and stepfather, Brad Clink, as well his two aunts Joyce Sexton and Deborah Freund, in addition to myriad nephews, nieces and cousins.
Zan also touched his closest friends in a major way, both those he met at Connecticut College, from which he graduated cum laude in Government in 2006, and many from Menlo School in Atherton, with whom he kept in close touch from high school until his death this year.
After four years at “Conn,” Alexander joined up with high school buddies David Nemetz, Dave Finocchio, and Brian Goldberg to co-found Bleacher Report, which became the largest independent website devoted to sports. Personable and gregarious, Zan was especially good with people and was responsible for building the company’s “community.” Bleacher was eventually acquired by the Turner Broadcasting division of Time/Warner and today attracts hundreds of millions of unique visitors a month.
As a teen, he could often be found in hang-outs like The Dutch Goose and the “O” (The Oasis), scarfing down hamburgers and, along with his friends, trying to score the occasional beer. Anyone who came under his influence was attracted by his quick wit and his kindness. With gentle warmth he drew people to his side, and soon his large group of close friends adopted a new appellation for itself: “The Zan Clan.”
He was passionate about a wide variety of subjects and had a deep love of the guitar, playing it for hours in his bedroom. He often created new melodies: any kind of music drew him in, either instrumental or vocal—but the group Phish was his favorite, and he often followed them around the U.S. to attend their concerts.
Reading, too, gripped him and he often immersed himself in his favorite writer, Stephen King, reading and rereading all of his work. Every novel by King eventually wound up on his atypically organized bookcase; Alexander loved King’s short stories, those in which King often eschewed the “horror” aspect of some of his work and went for deeper emotions. He loved to debate the value of this writer’s work with his mother, who was also an author, and he often drifted through the house quite happily, book in his hands, draped in the cozy folds of his comforter, which he called his “puff,” dragging it along behind him.
Shooting hoops with both his father and Nicholas, as well as the Zan Clan, made him especially happy. Zan was a wizard at foul shots, and had to give basketball handicaps to his father throughout his life. To his mother’s horror, his favorite T.V. show as he was growing up was “Beavis and Butt-Head.”
His step-parents were pivotal in his life, as well: true to her generous nature, his stepmother took time out on her wedding day to help the perpetually disorganized Zan find matching socks, and taught Nicholas how to iron his dress shirt. His stepfather took Zan and a close friend camping at Big Sur and Alexander discovered that he liked hiking, as well as his Mom’s baked beans alongside his perennial favorite—hot dogs.
The political scene fascinated him, and he had deep and enduring knowledge of every party and candidate—especially those whose philosophies went beyond the traditional. He was always able to defeat his opposition, who would often cry, “O.K., Zan! You win!”
He loved the tribe of the family’s three Dalmatians, and he always had a sweet spot for his cat Doppler, an Abyssinian who followed him from room to room and slept at the foot of his bed. Zan was convinced by his mother that the three dogs who eventually passed on from their home were waiting eagerly to greet him at the Rainbow Bridge. At the time, he almost believed her—but then did with certainty later in his life, when he discovered and held tight to a deep spirituality.
His religious background contained a richly unique combination of both Judaism and a touch of the Protestant faith his mother grew up with before she converted to her husband’s religion. Sabbath dinner became part of the Freund family’s rituals and Linda taught both boys the blessings for the candles, while John took on those for the handmade loaf of challah Linda had baked, and the wine.
Alexander and Nick both survived Hebrew school, and became bar mitzvah: on a sunny Saturday morning in 1996, Zan’s melodious chant of the day’s Torah portion in his pitch perfect voice warmed his father’s, mother’s and grandfather’s hearts. But as was his wont, when the rabbi later asked Alexander whether he was looking forward to continuing his Jewish education, Zan retorted boldly that he’d had enough.
His life was enriched by a unique combination of both his father’s Jewish heritage, as well as the Protestant rituals of his mother’s background. Christmas stockings and an exceedingly tall tree, which his family decorated just before the all-important day, were de rigueur. The family shared the holiday with relatives and Zan basked in Grandpa Al’s pleasure over the gifts he received from his grandsons.
Zan will be missed intensely by his grieving family and close friends. Forever.
Alexander’s ashes will be interred at both the Los Gatos Memorial Cemetery and the Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. Donations in his memory may be made to NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness), https://donate.nami.org/, or the ASPCA, aspca.org/donate.
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