Arthur Freed

Arthur Freed, P.E. passed away peacefully at his White Plains home on May 14, 2025, with his wife Judy (Kaplan) Freed at his side—as she has been since they married 65 years ago.

Arthur was born on December 11, 1930 at the American Hospital in Paris, France. He was raised in Yonkers, NY and the Bronx by his father Harry Fried and his mother Mollie (Fineberg) Fried along with his sister, Elaine Fried (Gerson).

Arthur received a degree in Civil Engineering from City College of New York. After graduation, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War.

Upon his discharge, he began a 40-year career with the County of Westchester, rising from a rod man on a survey team to Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Operations for the Department of Public Works.

He was nationally recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers and numerous other engineering organizations. In 2001, he was honored in the second class of Fellows for the N.Y. State Society of Professional Engineers, following a (surprise) nomination from his daughter, Lisa. He taught his craft as an instructor with the F.B.I. Command School, the New York State Police Academy, the United States Military Academy and as lecturer at Yale, M.I.T., Columbia, Cornell, New York and Michigan State Universities.

His commitment to public service had a global impact. Among his proudest professional accomplishments was creating the now-ubiquitous “H” sign, which guides patients to hospital emergency rooms in times of need. That simple sign, which first appeared on North Street in White Plains, has no doubt saved countless lives around the world. Another of his proud accomplishments was creating a program that equipped Westchester County Police cars with teddy bears to comfort children who were involved in accidents--a compassionate program that has also been emulated worldwide.

Arthur could always be counted on to solve problems and found an engineering solution to any problem he faced. Every corner of his house is a testament to his organization and ingenuity. He loved sharing his knowledge and experiences with his family, and in doing so enabled his children to grow up sailing, riding horses, building projects and embracing a lifelong commitment to advocacy and public service. His family was his number one priority, and no matter his children’s age, he would leave work to show up at endless swim meets, water polo tournaments, presentations and events.

He remained busy in his retirement, building ship models and raising money for the World Trade Center widows and orphans fund with his photography.

Arthur leaves his wife, Judy, with whom he shared 65 years of marriage, a love for the New York Yankees and countless walks at Playland with their faithful dog, Joey. He is the father of two children, daughter, Lisa Freed and her longtime partner Mike Rader of Bedford MA and his son Andy Freed and his wife Catherine Denn-Freed of Melrose MA. He was the proud grandfather of Rob, Rachel, Lauren and Dan.

In his later years, Arthur received loving care from a dedicated care team led by Sandra Bandoo and a team of professionals who kept him comfortable in his final days at home.

A graveside remembrance will be held on Monday, May 19 at Mount Eden Cemetery in Hawthorne, NY at 1PM. Arthur happily stopped wearing ties after his retirement in 1991. In his honor, the family has asked that dress for the service will be “come as you are,” with Arthur’s post-retirement standards of khakis and a polo shirt encouraged.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, https://t2t.org/.