Claire Elizabeth Freeman Tatman “Beth”, 77, passed away Sunday morning, October 4, 2026. She was the widow of James E. Tatman whom she loved dearly.

Beth was born in Chester, SC in 1949 to the late Charles P. and Bessie Young Freeman. She is survived by two sisters, Claudia F. Dean of Chester, SC and Peggy F. Aldridge of Kannapolis, NC.

She took great pride in being meticulous in her work in accounting and bookkeeping for the state of North Carolina and later for her husband’s law firm in Florida. Beth received a meritorious service award for Life Time of Service from Little People of America and Raymond Jefferies Leadership Award in 1981. She was a lifetime member of Little People of America; a member of Gama Beta Phi society and Delta Tau Kappa society.

Beth began advocating for and being an activist in the early 1970s for the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Later, her continued involvement, testimonies to committees and subcommittees, hard work and determination helped the Act of 1973 become the landmark civil rights law known as the American Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) that prohibits discrimination based on a disability. Along the way Beth made hundreds of life-long friends.

Pollard Funeral Home is serving the family.