ef Leppard, Bon Jovi and the love of his father were all Jeremy Froedge could really depend on when he was a child.
The Edmonton junior said he would rock out to hair bands as a kid to separate himself from his dysfunctional step-family.
His love of music and admiration for his father brought him peace, but it was still not easy to deal with his step-family or the limited role of his mother.
After years of pain and tragedy, Froedge said he was able to gain independence, strength and a closer relationship with his mother.
Froedge’s parents divorced when he was 1. He said things were great until his father re-married when he was 8 years old.
Froedge’s new step-family included two stepbrothers.
“They came from a family with no morals or values,” Froedge said. “I didn’t like their attitude.”
He said he detested his new family, but every few months his weekend visits to see his mother, older brother and younger sister in Glasgow relieved him from his step-family.
His mother, Shelia Harper, said she wishes she could have given Froedge more support through those years.
Harper said Froedge was always happy with his family in Glasgow, but he later admitted how the atmosphere changed once he came back to Edmonton.
“He told me he would get in the shower and cry when he came home,” she said.
His father had his own way of helping Froedge through those turbulent years.
“He made it plain as he could that I was the center of his universe,” Froedge said. “It’s hard to find somebody who loves you like that.”
Froedge also immersed himself in his schoolwork and basketball to stay focused.
But at 15, Froedge’s world turned around when his father died after an 18-month battle with lung cancer.
Froedge said he never really grieved over his father’s death, but watching him die was terrifying.
Froedge eventually moved in with his mother after she gained custody.
“It was like spring,” he said. “The first 15 years of my life, I was pressed down. When I came to Glasgow, it was a release.”
Froedge said he finally had a loving family and the freedom his father never allowed him to have.
The transition was a blessing and a curse.
“In Glasgow, it was five times more fast-paced,” he said. “I started drinking, doing drugs and staying out late.”
From the ages of 16 to 20, Froedge said it was a downward spiral into heavy drug use and jail time.
Harper said she could only do so much to dissuade Froedge from his new lifestyle.
“I was there for him if he needed to talk,” she said. “I emphasized how his dad would be disappointed.”
Froedge said he gradually got tired of life in the fast lane and decided to move to Bowling Green with intentions of starting at Western.
After a year and a half, Froedge started at Western. His job of maintaining turf grass at the Bowling Green Country Club influenced him to major in turf management.
“I love being outside,” he said. “The golf course is so beautiful.”
Froedge said his experiences brought him closer to Harper and taught him how to take care of things on his own, including paying for his education.
His friend, Bowling Green resident Steve Slaughter, agreed.
“Jeremy has more or less raised himself,” he said. “He’s made his own way.”
Reach Stephanie Toone at features@wkuherald.com.
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