Vendor Spotlight

Doyle has faith as he figures out what’s next

STORY AND PHOTO BY HANNAH HERNER

Doyle Freeman is a recovering workaholic. At 10 years old, he started doing odd jobs for his dad, who had his own automobile electric business in Lebanon, Tenn., where Doyle and his seven siblings grew up. At 12 he picked up a paper route, and soon after started mowing lawns on the side. At 18 he started working full time for his dad, and after the family business closed he worked for another auto electric business for 25 years. When he got done at that job for the day, he would go and deliver pizza until the wee hours of the night.

On many weekends he would travel with a Southern gospel quartet. It was such a big part of his family’s life that he said his son and daughter were practically raised on a tour bus.

In 2013, Freeman got to a point where he couldn’t work full time anymore. The 40 years of such physical work had taken its toll. Sciatica and damaged knees disabled him. Conflict over his changing work life caused his marriage to fall apart and he became homeless as a result.

“It was like, what do I do now? It was overwhelming. Because I loved to work. Maybe a little too much,” he says.

Around that time, he started selling The Contributor.

“It’s been a lifesaver,” he says. “Especially the spot I have now. I couldn’t make it without The Contributor. I enjoy doing it too. I’d probably do it even if I didn’t need the money. It’s something to do. It’s

just my mind says ‘go’ and my body says ‘no.’”

Freeman would rather not print here where he sells, but he does travel about 50 miles outside of Nashville to his spot in a rural area, and he likes being the only one there.

For the last few years, Freeman has been living with a close friend of 30 years, and became his full-time caretaker when his muscular dystrophy got worse. When his friend passed away in early December, Freeman became homeless again. For now he’s couch surfing, or sometimes staying in his car, or a motel if he can afford it.

“It was tough emotionally, but on top of that I have nowhere to go,” Freeman says.

Hobbies and interests outside of work weren’t things that Doyle had much time to think about until now. His next focus is to get into a stable place to live, The Contributor social work team is working on that. Then maybe he’ll pick up fishing again, and going to the movies. He loves comedies, especially with Jim Carey, and karate movies, especially with Chuck Norris.

When asked how he keeps his spirits up in the midst of uncertainty he said, “Number one is my relationship with God. Nobody’s perfect, but that’s what I’d say. You gotta keep positive. There’s so much negativity in the world. The world is in such a state. You’re still on top of the ground, not in it. That’s one thing to be happy for.”